


Lean On Me

by nerdcredred, Ocelot_l



Series: Lifetimes [45]
Category: Atop the Fourth Wall, That Guy with the Glasses/Channel Awesome
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-14 11:11:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5741578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdcredred/pseuds/nerdcredred, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ocelot_l/pseuds/Ocelot_l
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emergencies can bring out the worst in people, but sometimes they can also bring out the best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All works can also be found at my LiveJournal page at http://bookishlady242.livejournal.com/
> 
> DISCLAIMER: We do not own the characters, the shows, or the people who portray the characters. These stories are meant as a work of fiction and are fair use. Please support the creators by watching their videos, letting the ads play, buying their DVDs and merchandise, and/or contributing to their Patreon(s). "Lean On Me" is performed by Bill Withers.

Dan set down his weapon and wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead. "I never thought target practice could tire me out so much. How long have we been doing this, Kid? Two hours? Three?"

"More like half an hour, dude," 90s Kid said as he handed the older man a water bottle. Dan smiled at him gratefully before downing half the contents of the bottle in one gulp. "But don't worry about that. You've done an awesome job improving your aim and getting used to the kickback these giant guns have. I don't think you've fallen over once today and that is totally rad!"

"Thanks for the support, sweetie." Dan set down his bottle as well and moved to embrace 90s Kid. "I can't believe you managed to design a gun that shoots sporks. You have such an incredible imagination."

"Heh, thanks, though I can't take all the credit for that," 90s Kid replied, his arms wrapped loosely around Dan's waist. "I sorta, like, copied the design of this gun I found on Europa that shoots swords. Swords are cool and all, but nothing can match the hardcore awesomeness of a spork!"

Dan's smile faded and he looked to the floor sadly. "I can't believe I missed out on such an amazing adventure. I really wish I could have gone with you to save those astronauts and fight off that crazy Mechakara."

"Dan, you were sick. There was no way I was letting you step one foot out of bed, let along onto a massive spaceship in your condition," 90s Kid replied.

Dan sighed. "I know, and I really do appreciate the concern, but it's just so unfair. Not only did you get to have a crazy, fun adventure without me, but you got to spend all that time with Snob too! And not just regular Snob, but drunk Snob, which is one of the top five best versions of Snob!"

90s Kid giggled and stroked Dan's back soothingly. "I know, dude, it was pretty awesome. Snob can be, like, a jerk at times, but sometimes he can also be pretty cool. When he was smiling and joking around with us, he seemed like a different, totally fun dude...he kinda even reminded me of you," 90s Kid admitted, a strange, small smile sliding into place. "He was just so happy and cute and friendly-"

"Cute?" Dan asked, eyebrows arching in surprise.

"W-what? I didn't say that," 90s Kid quickly denied, his cheeks turning a dull red color. "Anyway, um, I also hung out with Obscurus Lupa a lot. She was a pretty cool dudette."

"Oh, she's a friend of Snob's. She's always seemed really nice," Dan replied.

90s Kid puffed out his chest a little."Yeah. She, like, had a major crush on me, it was so totally obvious. But I had to let her down gently, cuz even though I'm a grade-A babe magnet; my heart only belongs to you, Dan."

"Aw, ditto, Kid." The two came together for a tender kiss before Dan pulled back and looked at 90s Kid with eyes that glinted. "So, what was that you were saying about Snob before?"

"L-let's get back to our training!" 90s Kid quickly turned around to face the table full of weapons that he'd set up earlier that day, trying to ignore how Dan was chuckling at him. "Since you've mastered the spork gun, you're totally ready to try something else!"

Dan approached the table as well and peered down at the various guns arranged in a pleasant manner before him. "I really appreciate all the extra help you've given me, Kid. I know you're usually very busy helping Linkara and the others, so I'm sorry for always taking up so much of your worktime."

"Don't be sorry, Dan, I love helping you." 90s Kid rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it supportively. "I cleared out my whole morning just so I could be here and help you learn this junk better, so it's totally cool that I'm with you right now. Besides," 90s Kid lowered his voice, "I totally missed you up on that spaceship so I wanna spend extra time with you. It was really hard trying to sleep when I, like, didn't have you next to me."

Dan smiled up lovingly into 90s Kid's flushed face and stood up on his tiptoes to kiss him. "Aw, sweetie...couldn't you have just cuddled up to your new boyfriend, Snob?"

"...you are gonna pay for that, Dan."

When the doors to the Holodeck opened sometime later, Linksano and Harvey paused in their conversation to observe as a shirtless Dan was chased around by a giggling 90s Kid, who seemed to be shooting at the older man a new gun neither of them had seen before.

"You can't run forever, dude! When you stop to catch your breath, I'm blasting away your jeans next, and I know you went commando today!"

"Training hard as always, I see," Linksano quipped, which stopped 90s Kid dead in his tracks. He slowly turned to stare at the two, his face turning beet red.

"Oh, dudes...you're t-totally early..."

"Actually, we're right on time," Linksano replied, checking his watch just to be certain of this fact.

"So, this is the 'totally important training session' you blew off our breakfast for, Junior?" Harvey quipped with a wry smile.

"W-we were training!" 90s Kid insisted. "I would never blow you off for anything that wasn't super important, Harvey, you know that! Dan and me just, um...I was showing him how the guns worked and then he...wanted to go jogging and...his shirt kinda...fell off?"

Linksano and Harvey shared a look. "That might be the worst excuse I've ever heard."

"Nah, I've heard worse. You wouldn't believe the kinda stories they tried to pull in the service when a man was caught with a dame in his bed...or another man, as it happened to be from time to time."

"It's totally true!" 90s Kid cried, before sighing in defeat. "Okay, fine, whatever. Dan, get over here so I can shoot you with the re-clothing gun this time."

"Good try, sweetie." Dan patted the teen on the arm once a new shirt and suit jacket had appeared over his torso, before whispering into his ear, "Bring that one back up to your room tonight, okay?" 90s Kid quickly nodded.

"Alright, it looks like everyone is here for the group training session," Linkara announced moments later after walking into the Holodeck with Ninja-Style Dancer. "Thanks for coming, everyone. I know we haven't had a chance to train together lately, but I'm hoping we can start holding regular gatherings to prepare for whatever crazy situation might happen next."

*So, what types of activities are we to engage in today?* Ninja held up with a curious gaze.

"Today I want to test our ability to think and act during emergency situations." Linkara walked over to the control console and started entering in a number of instructions. "Normally we work well because we're fighting together in a decent-sized group, where we're able to find help or support from someone else if we need it. However, I want to see what happens when there are smaller numbers of us facing these types of challenges and we don't have everyone's abilities to rely on. That's why I'm going to have Nimue divide us into groups of two and then drop each of us into a simulated emergency scenario. All you need to do is work with your partner to survive the situation and accomplish your set task."

"Emergency situations. That sounds kind of scary," Dan muttered to 90s Kid.

"It'll be okay, Dan. Just remember, none of this is real and no one can get hurt."

Dan nodded, though he didn't look very relieved. "Kid, do you want to do the first scenario together?"

"Sure dude. Let me just go tell Linkara." 

As 90s Kid made his way across the room, he soon found himself walking in stride with Harvey. 

"It's hardly fair to ask the doc, Crockett, and Twinkle Toes to compete with us when it comes to emergencies," Harvey said in a jovial tone. "Aside from the Kid, you and me got the most experience dealing with wild and wacky situations. We're practically pros at this point."

"Totally!" 90s Kid agreed with a grin.

"You think the others coulda handled that toaster-face like we could? Forget about it." Harvey smiled when 90s Kid laughed. "So, Junior, what say you and me give these knuckleheads a taste of our amazing teamwork?"

"Sure, that sounds awesome!" 90s Kid's grin of agreement quickly wavered. "Oh, but I promised Dan that I'd go with him first, but we can totally go second, okay?"

"Aw, come on, Junior, don't you wanna start things off with some pizzazz? We could really knock their socks off."

90s Kid hesitated. "Well, that does sound cool, Harvey, but I dunno. Dan's feeling kind of nervous about this since he's still not used to how we do stuff around here." 90s Kid lowered his voice. "Honestly, dude, Dan's not really the best in emergency situations so he's gonna need a ton of help."

Harvey barely managed to hold back an eyeroll. "He ain't a little kid, Junior, and this ain't a real emergency. There's nothing to be nervous about."

"I know, I know," 90s Kid said, biting on his lip as he was starting to feel a bit anxious.

"Besides, wouldn't it be fun to show off to him?" Harvey continued. "If he sees you acting all heroic and tough, he'll definitely go weak at the knees – you won't need to use a gun to get him into his birthday suit after a performance like that, it you catch my drift." He winked at the teen.

90s Kid's cheeks heated up again and he giggled at the thought. "Hehehehe, yeah I do."

"So it's agreed then!" Harvey walked around the control panel and slid his arms around Linkara's waist, pulling him close. "Say, Kid, mind doing me an itsy-bitsy favor?" he asked in a whispered voice, his breath blowing against the back of Linkara's neck. 

Linkara shuddered before quickly pulling out of the older man's grasp. "Nice try, Harvey, but everything about these simulations is going to be random, so no special favors. Not even if you promise to do that thing you know I love," he quickly added just as Harvey was about to offer.

"Nuts." 

90s Kid, who had been listening from behind Harvey, felt a small wave of relief pass through his body, but quickly shook it off as Nimue started to speak.

"Linkara, this unit is ready to begin the first simulation."

"Thanks, Nimue." Linkara turned to the team and grinned. "Alright! Here we go!"

\-----

90s Kid murmured softly as he opened his eyes. He squinted slightly against the sunlight, which was bright enough to blur his vision, before a cold breeze stung his cheeks, and then hammered against the rest of his body. He shivered before his eyes widened significantly as he realized that he was lying on a thin chunk of rock jutting out from the slope of a cliff maybe seventy feet in the air. His heart beating rapidly, 90s Kid tried to get to his feet, before discovering his right arm was bandaged and trapped against his chest in a sling. He was also deterred from sudden movements when his attempt to stand resulted in a few tiny pieces of rock breaking off from the ledge and falling. Noticing a spindly tree branch growing just inches above his head, 90s Kid grabbed it with his left hand and tentatively pulled himself into a standing position. Once he was upright, he tilted his head upwards and opened his mouth. 

"Help! Anyone! I'm down here!"

"Kid!" Dan's extremely worried face peered over the cliff edge. "Oh God, are you okay? Don't worry, Kid, we're going to get you!"

"Get back!" 

Dan grunted as he was roughly pulled backwards before he turned to glare at the culprit. "What are you doing, Harvey? We have to get Kid!" 

"We also have to make sure we don't fall ourselves," Harvey replied. He chanced one glance down at where 90s Kid was positioned, his skin quickly paling, before he shook his head as his expression grew serious and calculating. "If you pay attention, you'll see that we're also in a precarious position up here-" 

"Not as precarious as the one Kid's in!" Dan exclaimed. 

"-and that any sudden movements could cause this whole cliff to crumble and collapse," Harvey finished. "I want to save Junior as much as anyone, but we have to be smart about this. Now, look around, Crockett and tell me if you see anything that might be of use to us."

Harvey made a quick turn then, trying with all his might to avoid looking over the edge of the cliff, as he scrutinized the rocky ground with intensity. Dan on the other hand kept his eyes trained on 90s Kid. He wasn't afraid of heights or falling; the only thing that scared him was the thought of losing the person he loved most.

"Come on, come on..." It was slow going for Harvey, since every rock and clump of dirt blended together, which only served to increase his frustration as time elapsed. "Damn it, this can't be that hard! There's gotta be something I can use here!"

"Don't give up, Harvey!" From a small platform several hundred feet away from the clifftop stood Linkara, Ninja, and Linksano as they watched the events of the first emergency scenario playing out.

Linksano fixed Linkara with an annoyed look. "We're not supposed to interfere in scenarios that don't involve us, remember?"

"I know, but I just feel bad. Harvey's never been good with heights and Dan...."

"Seems to be more interested in staring at 90s Kid instead of rescuing him?" Linksano finished, since Dan's refusal to move from the cliff's edge had caught his attention as well.

*It cannot be easy for him to see 90s Kid trapped in that manner* Ninja replied, his expression sympathetic. *Most people are useless when their loved ones are in danger. I do not blame him for his fear, it is but one of the many obstacles he must overcome in order to become a true warrior.*

"Yeah, but this one might be a bit too extreme for them." Linkara checked his phone. "I'm going to give them ten more minutes before I ask Nimue to switch scenarios."

Fortunately, Harvey only needed an additional five minutes until he spotted the rope coiled up beside a rock. "There we go! I knew it'd come to me!"

"Kid, we found a rope!" Dan quickly called down to him after catching sight of Harvey's discovery.

"Technically I found it," Harvey muttered as he slowly made his way back toward the cliff edge. 

Dan didn't appear to notice. "We can throw it down for you to climb!" 

"That's cool, but my arm's busted, Dan!" 90s Kid called back, his teeth close to chattering thanks to the cold winds swirling around him. "I don't think I can climb anything!" 

"What?" 

"Crockett, come back here a sec!"

Dan was once again yanked backwards from the cliff edge, Harvey's slender fingers digging sharply into his upper arm. He wasn't trying to hurt the other man, it was merely Harvey's natural reaction to latch onto anything or anyone in the vicinity when he was in a place too high for him to handle. Dan winced but did nothing to shake him off, his thoughts focused only on 90s Kid. 

"Harvey, he said his arm is hurt and he can't climb up to us." 

Harvey frowned as he pondered this a moment. "In that case, we'll send down something he won't have to climb. Look around for any material we can use to make a giant sling. I'm going to wrap the rope around one of these boulders so we can build a pulley system. I'm counting on you this time, Crockett," he added, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Not just me, but Junior too. Come on."

"I'll be right back, Kid!" Dan called down before reluctantly walking away from the edge. He tried to recall all the make-shift slings he'd seen in TV shows and movies. "Fishing net? No...leaves? Giant leaves?" Dan's eyes scanned wildly across the scene, searching for any trace of a tree.

Harvey grunted, looking slightly frustrated as he struggled to tie a knot strong enough to keep from breaking. "Good suggestion, Crockett, but I don't think we're gonna find any giant banana trees around these parts," he replied, a bit sarcastically. "Have you watched anything other than cartoons in the past few years?"

Dan bit his lip, unable to see much of anything that could function as a sling. "Uh, could we teleport to the apartment and get blankets or towels?" 

"We don’t have access to teleporters during these scenes," Harvey replied. 

“Well we can't just stand around; we have to think of something!" Dan cried back, his frayed nerves beginning to snap as their options ran out.

“I am not the one standing around, Crockett, and yelling at me is not going to save Junior any quicker,” Harvey answered through grit teeth. 

“I-I'm trying to think but I don't know what to do and you're not exactly the first person I'd want to be around during an emergency situation!" Dan snapped. 

Before things could escalate further, Harvey’s black jacket landed atop Dan’s face. "Calm yourself and think about this: if we tie our jackets together we might be able to make something Junior can sit in, right?”

Dan pulled the jacket from his face before hurriedly shedding his own. "How do we tie these together?"

“Uh, dudes?" 90s Kid called from down the cliff, the ledge under his feet slowly cracking as splinters in the rock appeared. "I don't think this ledge is gonna hold much longer!" 

Instantly Dan hurried back to the edge, ignoring Harvey's angry command to focus on the sling, and peered over the edge again. "Kid, hold on! We're still-" 

"Ahh!" The slender branch 90s Kid had been holding onto for support suddenly snapped, causing him to stumble forward, which destroyed any remaining parts of the ledge. 90s Kid began to plummet.

"Kid!" Dan screamed in return, his whole body growing numb.

"What happened?" Harvey sprinted over to the edge, phobia be damned. "Where is he? Where's my boy?!" 

Dan didn't answer. He was too busy rushing to grab the loose end of the rope and tying it around his waist. 

Harvey didn't even realize what was happening. He remembered watching as Dan dove over the edge of the cliff, hurtling into the dark void of nothingness which lay beneath them, and then the dizziness became too much to bear. He fell to his knees, only half-conscious, and didn't witness the moment Dan's arms enclosed around 90s Kid as tightly as they could.

Dan braced himself for the painful impact around his midsection that would inevitably follow such an action, but it never came. Instead the world suddenly started to dissolve, including the cliff, the rope, and the seventy-foot drop, leaving the three men standing inside the empty Holodeck. 

"Harvey! Are you okay?! Linksano, check him out!"

While Linkara and Linksano hurried to the singer's side, Ninja-Style Dancer approached Dan and 90s Kid, who were still clinging to each other very tightly.

*It's alright now. The scene is over. You are not in any danger.* he gently reminded the two.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," 90s Kid said. He released his arms from around Dan's body, though Dan seemed reluctant to do the same.

*Well, that was certainly not how I pictured that scenario ending. You are quite the surprising person, Dan.* Ninja bowed his head slightly toward Dan, a look of admiration and respect in his eyes.

Dan was still breathing heavily from the thrill of the fall, but he managed a small smile. 

"I...I honestly didn't even...know I was doing that. It was...it was surprising, even to me."

"Surprising, but reckless," Linkara replied. Now that Harvey had been given a clean bill of health from Linksano, not to mention a chair to rest in, he was able to focus his full attention on the couple, with an expression that was a mixture of bewilderment and displeasure. "I can't believe you did that, Dan. If that had been a real emergency, you could have killed yourself." 

"90s Kid was in trouble," Dan replied, his arms still wrapped tightly around the teen. "That was the only thing I could focus on at that moment. I had to save him, that was all that mattered." 

"Aw, dude." 90s Kid pecked Dan on the cheek. "Thanks for saving me. It was totally hardcore of you to cliff-dive for me, even if it probably wasn't the best idea in the world." 

*You must admit, Linkara, that was a rather brave and impressive act* Ninja defended. 

"Fine, yes, it was impressive," Linkara sighed. "But next time, Dan, I'm going to need you to solve this problem in a way that doesn't involve you almost sacrificing yourself."

Dan looked to the ground, remaining silent.

"And next time, I'm not going to be on a clifftop and on the verge of a heart attack, right Kid?" Harvey asked. The color had finally started coming back to his cheeks, one of which was promptly kissed by Linkara. 

"I'm really sorry about that, Harvey. I promise you that next time, I'll exclude any scenarios that have to do with heights."

*To your credit, you seemed less nervous than you have before when in similar scenarios.* 

"That's not exactly reassuring, Twinkle Toes."

"I'm honestly inclined to side with Linkara, that was rather reckless, Dan," Linksano remarked as he ran the scanner over the older man's figure before studying it a moment. "But neither your heart nor your body seem to have taken any damage, and results are results, I suppose, so kudos to you!" 

Linkara sighed, rubbing his temples. "Don't encourage him, Linksano. It worked out fine _this time_ , but next time it might not. I'll have Nimue mark down that you passed the simulation, Dan, but I'm also giving you a demerit for going further than necessary."

"Don't let it bother you," Linksano remarked cheekily. "Demerits don't really mean anything. I've gotten at least ten of them for mishaps that were much more fun." 

Linkara rolled his eyes but chose to ignore the scientist. "I also think that should be the end of training for both you and Harvey today." 

"Kid, I'm fine." Harvey stood up, smiling in his usual at-ease manner. "Things may have gotten a little wild out there, but now that the scene's over, there's nothing to worry about."

"I don't know," Linkara said, eyes darting from Harvey to Dan. "Are you two alright about working together again? It sounded like things were...tense between you."

"What are you talking about? That's all water under the bridge." Harvey slung an arm around Dan before tousling his hair just a bit too hard. Dan winced again, though the singer didn't notice.

"Yeah, things are always cool between Harvey and Dan," 90s Kid chimed in as he slid his arm around Dan as well.

Linkara's expression remained unconvinced but he shrugged. "Well, if you're all agreed that everything's fine-"

"Ow." 90s Kid winced and groaned in pain. "Ugh, my stomach hurts." 

Dan and Harvey instantly looked to him in concern. "Kid, are you okay?" 

"What's wrong, Junior?"

"It's likely just the shock of the fall catching up to you. This Holodeck can be a bit too realistic at times, unfortunately, so you may feel a bit of a nauseous, dizzying sensation." Linksano explained. "Why don't you have someone help you to your room so you can rest up a bit?"

"I'll take him," Harvey said, a second before Dan could.

"N-no, I don't wanna leave early," 90s Kid insisted, straightening up as he broke out into a grin. "It's already gone, I'm totally fine now."

"Doc, what do you think?" Harvey asked his grip around 90s Kid tightening slightly.

"Hmm, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Sorry, 90s Kid, but I'm not going to allow you to do any more strenuous activities for the rest of the day."

"Aw, come on! It's really okay!" 90s Kid protested, but Linksano's recommendation carried more weight than even Linkara's.

"It's alright, sweetie." Dan ran one hand soothingly along 90s Kid's arm. "If you're quitting early, then I will too."

90s Kid quickly shook his head. "Dan, you need to do this." He paused and looked over to Harvey, who was still standing beside him with an arm around his shoulder. "Um, Harvey-dude, can you get me some water?"

It was an obvious question for privacy which Harvey quickly agreed to. "Be right back in two shakes of a lamb's tail." As he walked away, 90s Kid pulled Dan over toward the corner of the room. 

"Dude, I don't wanna be mean or anything, but you kinda don't react so well when things go wrong," he said in as gentle a tone as possible.

Dan looked down, nodding. "I know. I've never been good in emergencies."

"That's okay, Dan." 90s Kid quickly hugged his fiancé. "No one is always one hundred percent amazing in emergencies, no matter how cool or smart they are normally, but if you practice going through them a lot, you'll totally get better. It sucks having to feel all worried and scared during the practices, but in the end it's totally worth, like, the effort you put into it." 

"I was so useless when you were trapped on that ledge." Dan's voice was very small. "Harvey was amazing. Even though he's terrified of heights, he wasn't letting that stop him from trying to help you. I couldn't even think about moving."

90s Kid tilted Dan's chin up so he could gaze into his frightened eyes. "Harvey's trained a lot to become that awesome, Dan. It didn't happen with just one session. Besides, you were totally awesome too. I've, like, always wanted to go bungee jumping and now you beat me to it!"

Dan couldn't help chuckling, which earned him another hug from 90s Kid. "Next time we'll go together, sweetie."

"Totally. But this time, will you stay and practice more with Linkara and everybody? I know you can do a lot of really radical stuff, Dan, and if you keep practicing, everyone will know that too."

Dan trembled as he pulled 90s Kid's face down, pressing their lips together gently. "How could I ever give up on anything when I have my own personal cheerleader urging me forward?" he whispered against 90s Kid's mouth, thumbs stroking softly along his cheeks.

"I could put on a mini-skirt and wave pom-poms if that helps."

"Ohhh, don't tempt me, Kid, or I'll be too distracted fantasizing about you to get anywhere here."

90s Kid smiled proudly as he shared another kiss with Dan. "I know you can do this. I'll be waiting to hear all about your totally awesome missions tonight."

"You just make sure to get some rest," Dan replied, fingers still rubbing gently against flushed skin. 

"I promise." 

The two parted ways then, Dan heading back toward the group while 90s Kid exited the Holodeck completely. He was about to ask Nimue to beam him down to his bedroom when he noticed Harvey slumped down on a bench, his face buried in his hands.

"Harvey-dude? Are you okay?"

"What?" Harvey jumped, as if struck by something, before looking to 90s Kid with a guilty expression. "Oh geez, your water. I'm sorry, Junior, I just wanted a minute with my thoughts and..."

Harvey trailed off. 90s Kid took a seat beside him. They were both still too pale.

"It's okay. I'm okay."

"Yeah." Harvey glanced at him uncertainly. "Yeah."

Wordlessly the two embraced, savoring each other's warmth and familiar scent, enjoying their newfound safety and comfort in silence for some time.

"Wanna go for a drive?"

"I'm supposed to rest."

"Me too, but there's no way I can now. So, wanna go for a drive?" 

"Where would we go?"

"Anywhere. Nowhere. It doesn't matter. It'll be fun, just like that trip we took together."

"What about Dan?"

"He'll be in there for hours. We'll be back before he's done. Please, Charlie."

90s Kid trembled and hugged tighter. "Okay, Dad."

\-----

Dan laid almost motionlessly upon 90s Kid's bed. On the floor beside him was a stack of unread comics and unwatched VHS tapes. His plan to spend the day with his fiancé had been altered slightly thanks to an impromptu trip with Harvey. 90s Kid had hastily scrawled a note about it which Dan had found atop his pillow. He'd promised to return soon and allowed Dan to play with anything 90s Kid had in his room, but Dan wasn't in much of a mood for playing. The training session had been as grueling as he'd expected it to be, and even though Dan had passed most of his scenarios, he wasn't feeling much more confident about his ability to perform during a true emergency. Of course it would take time for real growth to occur, Dan knew this well, but he still found his lack of results frustrating.

Dan rolled over onto his stomach and glanced at the clock. It was growing dark out so hopefully 90s Kid would return at any time now. As he glanced around the teen's messy bedroom, Dan's gaze landed on a sketchbook with a silver cover, one of many 90s Kid now owned. He reached to the floor and pulled the book out from the pile of socks it had once been trapped under and started lazily flipping through the pages.

This book seemed to have a Pokémon theme to it. Pages were filled not only with various monsters wearing battle armor and costumes belonging to different superheroes, but new creatures that 90s Kid had designed himself. Dan's lips began to curl upwards as he read all about Riflepuff, the adorable pink blob/hunting gun hybrid who evolved with the newly discovered Bloodstone into the much more powerful and EXTREME Uzituff. By the time he reached the page filled with very thinly veiled Care Bear expies, his mood had brightened considerably.

"You're so talented, Kid," he murmured, turning to the next page in the book. This seemed to be the last one with anything drawn on it, and the image was a rushed, half-finished doodle which 90s Kid had not given that much attention to. In spite of this, Dan found it to be the cutest drawing of all.

The image only covered the right side of the page, where there stood a smiling 90s Kid with one arm extended as he pointed the way toward victory. At his feet was an excited Growlithe, ready to lunge forward and defeat whatever foe stood in his way; on his shoulder rested a chubby Raichu, who was sporting Kid's favorite hat atop his head; and at his back floated a Meloetta, 90s Kid's secret favorite monster not from the first generation, singing a song that no doubt was beautiful.

"I wish I could take you there," Dan admitted. Without really thinking about it, Dan grabbed one of the pencils from 90s Kid's nightstand and started drawing an image on the left side of the page. It was nowhere near as good as the one 90s Kid had created, even taking into consideration that 90s Kid had only been doodling, but Dan was proud enough of the result: a smiling man in a white jacket with a Porygon hovering beside him. "I'm glad you're so easy to draw," Dan muttered to his favorite Pokémon.

"Dan! I'm back!"

"Kid!" Dan looked up from the sketchbook and beamed as 90s Kid hurried through his bedroom door. "I'm so glad to see you! How are you feeling? I missed you, sweetie."

The two shared a hug before 90s Kid pulled back, looking apologetic. "Dan, I'm really sorry, but can you go out in the hall for a minute?"

"What?" Dan looked confused. "Why?" 

"It's really dumb," 90s Kid began, his cheeks starting to tint red as his expression grew embarrassed. "But, um, Harvey-dude wants to tuck to me in. He hasn't done that in a while and I...I know, getting tucked in is for babies, but..."

Dan silenced 90s Kid with another hug. "It's alright, Kid. I have no problem with this."

"You're the best, dude."

The sketchbook still in his hands, Dan walked out into the hallway and leaned against one of the walls while Harvey silently entered the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Dan would never prevent 90s Kid and Harvey from sharing a moment. He knew how much 90s Kid adored the singer and craved spending time with him. They had spent an entire summer together; they had shared so many adventures together. They had established a bond that 90s Kid had been dreaming of his whole life; he loved Harvey, he needed Harvey, and Harvey loved and needed him back.

Whenever 90s Kid was happy, Dan was happy as well. Yes he was, he was happy, extremely happy, and definitely not in any way, shape, or form, jealous. He continued to remind himself of this as he hugged the sketchbook tightly to his chest, until the bedroom door opened once more. Dan met Harvey's eyes as the singer moved down the hallway, Harvey offering him a nod and a quiet, "Crockett" before he vanished into his own room.

Unwilling to wait a moment longer, Dan tiptoed over to 90s Kid's door and gently pushed it open. "Kid? Can I come in?" 

"Urgh...Dan? Yeah, c-come in."

Dan frowned as he entered the room and saw that 90s Kid was struggling to stand up from his bed. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Is it your stomach?"

"Uh huh," 90s Kid admitted, rubbing the affected area with one hand. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I felt better earlier when Harvey and I were driving around, but now it's back. This is totally bogus, man."

90s Kid pulled off his cap and sunglasses, looking much paler than Dan would have liked.

"Do you want some medicine? Or maybe something to eat or drink?" 

"No I don't want anything." 

"Sweetie, are you sure?" 

"All I want is for you to stay with me. Can you help me get my pajamas on?" 

Dan's face softened. "Of course, Kid. I'll stay with you until you feel better." Dan was very gentle as he helped remove the different pieces of clothing from 90s Kid's body, offering his back for 90s Kid to lean on when he stood up to pull up the pajama bottoms. 

After a seven minute struggle, 90s Kid was once again ready to be tucked in. Dan did the honors this time before he pulled over a chair beside the bed and sat down, gently stroking the fingers of his right hand through 90s Kid's hair. 

"That feels good," 90s Kid sighed, his eyes sliding closed. 

"Good. I always want you to feel good, sweetie," Dan murmured, his voice soft and brimming with love.

"Were you...drawing before?"

"Yeah, in one of your sketchbooks. I hope that's okay. I know I should have asked first."

"No, it's okay. I wanna see what you drew...tomorrow for sure."

"Of course, Kid. I'll be happy to show you, even though I admit it isn't very good."

"Don't say that."

"Okay. Can I say that I love you?"

"Always."

"Good. I'll always love you, Kid, and I'll always be there when you need me. It doesn't matter if you're falling off a cliff or just falling out of bed. I'll be there to catch you." 

The corners of 90s Kid's lips curled up and he rested one hand atop Dan's knee. "I love you so much, Dan." 

Dan bent down and kissed his forehead, watching over him until he drifted off to sleep. "I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOUNCEMENT: My LJ comm that I post these stories to is switching to Dreamwidth. As a result, my LJ page is no longer going to update with new stories after this story is posted to completion. They will still be posted here on AO3 and also at http://nerdcredred.dreamwidth.org/.

The next afternoon, 90s Kid groaned as he lay in bed, his arms curled tightly around his stomach. He'd been trying to distract himself from the pain he was feeling for the past few hours by watching TV but it didn't seem to be working. Dan had gone home that morning after breakfast, since 90s Kid hadn't wanted him to worry about how the pain had grown worse, but he was starting to regret that decision. 90s Kid had never had a stomachache like this before where he felt hungry and wasn't nauseous, but couldn't keep any food down for long, as his ill-fated attempt at breakfast had proven. He didn't know what was happening; all he knew was that his stomach just hurt. It was almost as though he had swallowed a giant rock when he was falling from that cliff yesterday. 

Eventually the pain grew to be too much and 90s Kid reached for his teleporter from the nightstand. He appeared at once inside Linksano's lab, groaning and clutching his stomach. 

"Are you alright, 90s Kid?" Linksano asked in concern, noting 90s Kid's pale face and bent figure as he looked up from his latest experiment. "You look like you're about to fall over. Has that stomachache not gone away?" 

"Nope," 90s Kid grunted, his words a bit strained. "I thought sleeping would help, but I think it got worse today."

Linksano pulled off one glove and pressed his hand to 90s Kid's forehead, clicking his tongue. "You feel warm. Have you been vomiting at all?" 

90s Kid nodded. "I did after I ate breakfast. I'm not sick or anything, I just can't hold it in and stuff." 90s Kid's face flushed. "And I, uh, I kinda, I mean, uh, in the bathroom I, like, couldn't, um-" 

"Cut the formalities, 90s Kid, I'm a doctor. Are you trying to tell me you're constipated?" Linksano asked bluntly, to which 90s Kid turned even redder and nodded. Linksano went to a cabinet with multiple bottles and shook out a few pills. "Here's some medicine that should hopefully decrease your temperature and regulate your system. If it doesn't get better by tomorrow then come see me again and I'll do a full examination. Unfortunately my scanner is being upgraded by Nimue right now, or else I'd be using it to ensure you aren't seriously ill," Linksano explained with a frown. "It was meant to take the rest of the day, although I could end the process early to give you a proper examination, if you'd prefer." 

"No, don't stop it just for me. These pills should, like, do the trick." 90s Kid quickly swallowed the pills with a water bottle Linksano offered before gripping the teleporter again. "Thanks, Linksano-dude." Linksano found it odd that 90s Kid didn't squeeze him half to death in his typical manner of thanks, but he decided to chalk it up to the teen's fatigue and returned to his work.

Later that evening, Harvey knocked on the door to 90s Kid's room. A weak response of "come in" had him hesitantly sticking his head through the crack. 

"Hiya, Junior. I just wanted to check in and see how you're feeling." 

"Not good," 90s Kid admitted. He was currently lying on his side, blankets curled tightly around his body. "My stomach totally kills." 

"Gee, that's not sounding good at all," Harvey said. He entered the room and walked closer to the boy, bending down to get a better look at his pale, sweaty complexion. 

"No. But Linksano, like...gave me medicine," 90s Kid explained, his words sounding strained. "It should...help me out..." 

Harvey couldn't help but feel doubtful after he'd gotten a better look at the teen, but he didn't want to be too negative in front of him. "Well, the doc knows his stuff, so I bet you'll be feeling hunky-dory come tomorrow." 

"Yeah." 90s Kid's eyes slid closed then and his breathing grew softer. "I think I'm just gonna sleep now, dude." 

"That's a good idea, Junior. You, uh, want me to sing you a little ditty before you drift off?" Harvey offered. 

"Thanks...but no thanks..." 

Harvey felt his worry grow, since 90s Kid never refused a chance to hear him croon, but he nodded and accepted the decision. "Sure thing then. I'll just leave you be and see you tomorrow morning." Harvey made sure 90s Kid was properly tucked in before he crossed the room and flicked the light switch. "Night, Junior." There wasn't any response.

Harvey knocked on Linkara's door and waited patiently until the door opened. "Hey you," Linkara said cheerfully, happy as always to see his boyfriend. "Want some company tonight?" 

"I thought you'd never ask," Harvey replied, a smile on his lips, but Linkara could hear something in his voice. 

As he let Harvey inside and they both started getting ready for bed, Linkara turned to him. "Is 90s Kid still not feeling well?" 

Harvey shook his head, frowning. "Nah. He's been lying down all day and the doc even gave him some medicine, but it don't seem to be doing its job. Junior really seems to be hurting. I don't like it."

Linkara wrapped his arms around Harvey and pressed his lips to his in a reassuring way. "I know, hon. I'm worried about him too. If he's not better by tomorrow I'll make sure Linksano takes another look at him." 

Harvey nodded, distracted. "He didn't wanna have me sing for him tonight. He always wants me to sing for him. Something must be wrong." 

Linkara frowned and pulled Harvey toward the bed. "I'm sure he's fine, Harvey. He's just tired and needs some extra rest. You spent all day with him yesterday and he was fine, right?"

Harvey smiled as he thought back to their little trip. "I thought he was, Kid. He was all smiles and jokes like always. Maybe a little paler or slower than usual, but I was chalking that up to the stupid tumble he took off that cliff."

"Well, maybe he just caught a bug from someone," Linkara suggested. "You know how easy it is for kids to get sick."

"Yeah," Harvey reluctantly agreed. 

"So just come to bed and relax. Everything will be fine. And, if you're still in the mood, I'll always let you sing for me," Linkara offered, smiling invitingly. 

Harvey smiled back after a moment and took the bait. "Maybe helping you hit a few high notes might be fun," Harvey quipped, wrapping his arms around Linkara and allowing himself to be distracted by warm, soft kisses. 

\-----

Later that night, as their entwined bodies slept, Harvey suddenly jerked out of sleep, sitting up in bed as his breath caught in his throat. He'd just felt a flash through his brain, and his lifelong intuition – fatherly intuition, he realized – gave him a severe feeling that something wasn't right. He wasn't sure if he'd heard a noise or not, but he'd definitely felt something. He turned to Linkara quickly and shook the man awake until Linkara's grumpy face stared back at him. 

"What?" Linkara mumbled grouchily until he noticed how worried and alert Harvey looked. "Did you hear something?" 

Harvey nodded. "I dunno. I don't think I did, but I just have a gut feeling I get sometimes, Kid, and we need to check it out." 

Linkara nodded instantly in agreement, having learned to rely on Harvey's senses as strongly as his own throughout the years. The two slid out of bed and put their robes on, Linkara grabbing the Magic Gun and Harvey's revolver before they entered the hallway. 

Harvey covered Linkara as they looked around, before their ears pricked up at the sound of crying. This didn't sound like crying out of sadness, it sounded like crying out of pain. The two men shared a look of fear as it appeared to be coming from 90s Kid's room. They opened the door and flicked on the light to find 90s Kid lying in bed clutching his pillow, his forehead drenched in sweat as he sobbed weakly. 

"Junior, what is it?" Harvey asked quickly, the two of them rushing to his bedside. 

"M-my stomach...it hurts," 90s Kid choked out, tears still running from his eyes. "I-I don't know what to do, y-you guys...it's n-never hurt this bad..." 

"Go get Linksano right now, wake him up," Harvey snapped to Linkara, who was already heading into the hall yelling loudly for the doctor. Harvey tried to wipe up some of 90s Kid's sweat with the bedsheets. "Junior, next time you're in this much pain, you gotta tell us," he gently reminded, trying to be reassuring. "It's gonna be okay, we're gonna get you help now." 

Honestly, Harvey was terrified at seeing 90s Kid break down like this, since he knew the teen could take a lot of pain and wouldn’t cry in front of them unless he had reached his breaking point, but he was going to put on his bravest face until his boy had calmed down. 

Linksano hurried into the room with Boffo and Ninja on his heels, the others also having heard the commotion. Linksano rolled 90s Kid onto his back and forced his hands away from his stomach, probing his abdomen and stopping when 90s Kid yelled in pain. "We need to get 90s Kid to a hospital right now." 

Harvey turned to him sharply. "What's wrong with him?" 

"I believe it's his appendix. It's either inflamed or it's ruptured and we need to get him to a hospital immediately." 

"N-no, no way, you can't take him there," Harvey begged, his voice sounding more urgent and scared than Linksano had ever heard. "We'll take him there and he won't come back!" 

_Harvey, stop it, you're scaring him!_ Boffo snapped at him sternly, his uncharacteristic harshness causing Harvey to stop and stare at him in confusion, before he turned and gave 90s Kid a reassuring smile. _Don't worry, 90s Kid, the hospital is very safe and they're going to make you all better. I know where we can take you, so Linksano and I will teleport you there right now, okay?_

"Okay.” 

Boffo smiled and gestured for Linksano to grab hold of 90s Kid's left arm while he wrapped his arm around 90s Kid's shoulders. _Alright, just hold on for a minute. I will teleport us into the ER, and we'll get you a bed right away._

Harvey took a step toward them but Linkara grabbed hold of his arm and the singer didn't resist, watching helplessly as 90s Kid vanished before his eyes. "Harvey, it'll be okay," Linkara said, trying to put as much comfort into his tone as he could. 

"You don't know that," Harvey replied, his eyes still glued to the spot where 90s Kid had been. 

"Medical science and technology has come a long way since your time," Linkara continued. "And appendectomies are usually not that difficult to treat. I truly believe that 90s Kid will be treated with the best care possible at the hospital." Harvey didn't respond, so Linkara slid a hand into his. "Why don't we go get dressed and head over there together? Then you'll see for yourself that 90s Kid will be just fine." 

Harvey flinched merely at the thought. If there was one place he never wanted to step foot inside again, it was a hospital, but at the same time, he knew 90s Kid would be looking for him. Scared kids were always looking for their parents inside hospitals. Harvey nodded. "Alright, Kid. We'll go. I don't...I don't want him to feel alone." 

Linkara smiled and squeezed Harvey's hand. "We'll all make sure to let him know he isn't alone." 

As Harvey left to get dressed, Linkara pulled out his cell phone. "Hey there!" Dan's cheerful voice greeted from the other end. "I didn't expect to receive a phone call from you so late, Linkara." 

"Sorry if I woke you, Dan."

"Actually, I was in the middle of a Charles in Charge marathon and haven't gotten to bed yet!" 

"Well, I guess its better that you're up," Linkara said before letting out a sigh. "Listen, Dan, I have to tell you something. You know how 90s Kid wasn't feeling well yesterday?" 

"Is he still sick?" Dan's voice lost all trace of its chipper quality. "Does he want me to come over?" 

"I suspect he does, but he's not here. Linksano thinks his appendix is rupturing, so we've taken him to the hospital-" 

"The one where Boffo works?" 

"Yes-" 

"I'll be ready in two minutes. Send someone over here." 

Linkara blinked at the brusque tone he wasn't used to hearing from Dan. "I'll tell Ninja to come pick you up." 

Dan hung up without saying anything else, but Linkara didn't blame him. All his energy should be focused on getting to the hospital and making sure everyone stayed calm. At this point, Linkara was more worried about Harvey than 90s Kid when it came to that.

By the time everyone had showered, dressed and gotten to the hospital, a half hour had passed, though it was still pitch dark outside. They found Linksano in the waiting room reading through an old magazine.

"What's happening to him?" Harvey asked immediately. 

"They took him back for a CAT scan and some X-Rays. Boffo's with him now," Linksano explained. "Once they figure out what's going on we'll be able to see him and discuss treatment." 

"And appendicitis isn't serious, so it probably won't be that bad," Linkara piped up, noticing how uncomfortable Harvey looked just being inside the building. 

"That's true, an appendectomy is one of the safest and most routine of surgeries, with less than a 1% mortality rate – not that we have any reason to worry about that!" Linksano hastily clarified as Linkara shot him a death glare. 

*Couldn't you have performed such an operation yourself?* Ninja asked curiously. 

Linksano shrugged. "I've performed at least a dozen, so in theory yes. However we'd require an anesthesiologist, the latest medical equipment, and machines I don't yet have in my reserve, among other things. Besides, it's best to be in a place where there are multiple experienced medical hands nearby." 

"So what do we do now?" Linkara asked, hoping there was something that could help distract Harvey from the situation. To his displeasure, Linksano gestured to the remaining available chairs around him.

"There's really nothing to do but wait for information. I know it's not what you want to hear, but this is out of our hands now."

"Alright, thanks for the update." Linkara squeezed Harvey's hand. "Want to sit with me?"

"Huh?" Harvey seemed startled by the touch and pulled his hand back reflexively. "Oh, sorry, Kid. Actually, I was thinking of getting some air. Feel like taking a walk with me?"

Even though it was the middle of the night and impossible to see two inches in front of your face, Linkara nodded. "A walk sounds great. We'll be back soon," he informed the others as they made their way toward the glass doors. 

Linksano and Ninja each took a seat and fell into silence as they tried to enjoy some reading material. Dan, who had remained standing and clutching a small suitcase to his chest, was strangely silent as well. It was strange because he wasn't a person who enjoyed silence. Dan loved noise, from rock n' roll scored, bullet-riddled car chases in his favorite action movies, to laugh-track heavy sitcoms where someone was always cheering or clapping, to video games brimming with synthetic songs and sounds. He'd even start laughing raucously if things grew too quiet among his friends; it didn't matter, all sound was wonderful, so pulsating and powerful, reminding him that he was alive, that the world around him was alive.

Silence had never once reminded him of that.

That's why Dan remained standing, frozen in place and time, no longer alive, until the silence was destroyed by the sound of a familiar bicycle horn. 

_They've finished examining 90s Kid, he's in his hospital room now. Linkara, the doctor wishes to speak with us._ Dan turned, surprised to see that Linkara and Harvey were now standing beside him. _Dan, 90s Kid is asking for you._

"Lead me to him," Dan said at once. 

"Harvey, just give me a minute to find out what's going on, and then I'll come right back for you."

Harvey nodded weakly, having fallen victim to the silence as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Boffo quickly led Dan and Linkara down a long hallway. When they reached the right room, Dan burst inside without even knocking and moved immediately to 90s Kid's bed. 

"Kid, it's me," he said, reaching down to hold his hand. 90s Kid looked up and offered him a weak smile. 

"Dan, you're here." 

"Of course, sweetie, I'll always be here for you." While they continued to hold hands, the doctor, who had been reading 90s Kid's chart, exited the room and looked to Linkara. 

"Boffo informed me that you are this boy's guardian?" 

"Yes, that's me," Linkara replied. 

"Then I'll inform you of what's going to be happening. The patient has an inflamed appendix and we're going to need to operate to remove it." 

"I figured," Linkara said, nodding in understanding. 

"However, the area is very swollen, so we're going to administer antibiotics through an IV first to try and bring that inflammation down. Otherwise, we might cause damage to his other organs." 

Linkara winced before nodding again. "I understand. Do whatever you think is necessary to stop his pain and get him ready for surgery." 

"Then I'll have a nurse in to administer the IV and some morphine to numb his pain shortly." 

A little while later, after the morphine had started to kick in, 90s Kid actually managed to truly smile up at Dan. "Dude, you're here." 

"Yep, I sure am, sweetie. How are you feeling?" 

"Better now. Cuz of you. You always make me feel better." 

Dan smiled. "I'd wager the morphine also had a little to do with it."

90s Kid giggled before letting out a huge yawn and closing his eyes. "Mm, I'm gonna take a nap, dude...see ya...later..." 

"Rest well, Kid." Dan kissed his forehead and was about to pull a chair over to his bed when the door opened and Linkara poked his head inside.

"How's he doing?"

Dan brushed the hair gently out of 90s Kid's eyes. "Not hurting anymore, thank goodness. I think he'll be asleep for a while." 

Linkara nodded. "Good. Would you mind coming back with me to the base for a few minutes? I need some help getting 90s Kid an overnight bag for his hospital stay. I'll have Harvey stay and watch him." 

Dan stroked 90s Kid's cheek once more before getting up, smiling at Harvey as he entered the room, but his smile faded slightly when he saw how pale and shaky the singer looked. "How are you holding up, Harvey?" 

Harvey nodded absent-mindedly. "Yeah, yeah. Hangin' in there." 

Linkara guided Harvey into the chair Dan was sitting in and squeezed his shoulders. "We'll be right back, okay?" Harvey didn't answer him, instead deciding to focus on adjusting 90s Kid's blankets and pillows so he'd be comfortable. 

Linkara gripped Dan's arm and teleported them to the hallway where Dan had been standing less than 48 hours ago. "You know where 90s Kid keeps his stuff, right?" Linkara asked, leading Dan to 90s Kid's room. "Can you get him some clean pajamas and comics to keep him entertained?" 

"Sure thing." Dan responded. He entered the room and grabbed 90s Kid's duffel bag from under the bed without needing to think about it. 

"I'm surprised you can even find anything in there with how messy he keeps it," Linkara joked, leaning against the doorframe as Dan grabbed comics, some games, and the sketchbook containing the drawing he'd forgotten to show 90s Kid.

"I think it's cute how Kid has a carefree approach to housekeeping," Dan remarked with a small smile, while Linkara rolled his eyes. Dan looked to Linkara suddenly. "Aren't you gonna come in and help?" 

Linkara bit his lip, and Dan was surprised to see what looked like guilt come over his face. "I kinda thought he'd be more comfortable if you came in here instead of me. I know he wouldn't want me butting in and intruding on his space."

"Oh." Dan couldn't honestly disagree with this assessment, since he knew how important it was for 90s Kid to have his privacy, especially around his roommates. 

Linkara took this comment as an agreement that he was indeed an interloper and he stepped away from the door. "I'm going to grab some things for myself and Harvey, so just let me know when you're done." 

Dan frowned a bit as he watched Linkara walk away. Once he was gone, he reached under 90s Kid's pillow for his Tenderheart Bear and carefully settled it at the bottom of the bag before adding in some clean pajamas and a few other things he thought 90s Kid might like. At the last moment, he picked up some colored pencils and stuck them in his jacket pocket. Once he had zipped the duffel closed, Dan hurried out into the hallway where he found Linkara already waiting with a bag of his own. 

"Linkara, before we go, can I say something?" 

Linkara lowered his teleporter and looked at Dan in slight surprise. "What is it?" 

"It's about what you said before. 90s Kid might not like you going through his stuff, but he doesn't think you're always butting into his life." 

Linkara scoffed. "Are you kidding? Do you know how many times he's complained about me treating him like a little kid? I know that's what he thinks, Dan, and...I know he's right." Linkara looked down, feeling guilty again. "I have been a colossal pain in the ass when it comes to 90s Kid's life. I only want to look out for him and make sure he's making good decisions, but I come off as this annoying jerk who just wants to control him." 

"Linkara, 90s Kid thinks the world of you." Linkara looked up in slight surprise as Dan continued. "He's always telling me about how cool and awesome you are, and how much he admires you. Yes, he thinks you're annoying sometimes, but hey, who isn't annoying now and then? I know I've been called that plenty of times in my life." 

"No," Linkara said with mock surprise. 

Dan let out an amused smile. "My point is, when 90s Kid really needs you, you're there for him. You're one of the only people who's ever been there for him, you and Harvey both, and 90s Kid appreciates that so much. He really loves you, Linkara. I hope you know that." 

Linkara felt a strange lump form in his throat and he quickly swallowed. "Thanks, Dan. Sometimes I do forget that, so I'm glad I have you to remind me."

Dan smiled and gave Linkara an affectionate pat on the back. It felt somewhat strange to be talking with the comic lover in this manner but that strangeness wasn't a bad feeling. He and Linkara may not have seen eye-to-eye on everything, especially not on matters concerning 90s Kid, but they both knew that when it came right down to it they all wanted what was best for him. 

"C'mon, we'd better get back. I know Kid will want to have all of us there for him when he's awake." 

"Agreed." Linkara teleported them back to the room, where Harvey gently pulled his fingers from 90s Kid's hair and cleared his throat, though Linkara could hear the barest traces of a melody when he had entered. "Has he woken up at all?" Linkara asked softly, gently massaging Harvey's shoulders. 

Harvey shook his head, his eyes not leaving 90s Kid's face. "Nah, he's out like a light. The others went ahead and went back home once they got the news; they'll be back in the morning." 

Linkara yawned and squeezed Harvey's shoulders a bit tighter. "I have to admit, I'm jealous. What is it, four in the morning?" 

"I keep forgetting that some people aren't used to being up at this hour," Dan remarked, setting the duffel bag down on the other side of the bed. "You two go home and get some sleep; I'll stay here and watch him." 

Harvey acted as though he hadn't heard Dan, but looked up reluctantly when Linkara pulled on his arm. "He's right, hon. We can trust Dan of all people to look after 90s Kid, and we can come back first thing after we wake up, okay? I promise." Linkara wasn't sure if Harvey would get any sleep that night, but he wanted them to at least try. 

Harvey gave another anxious look to 90s Kid and slowly rose to his feet. "Yeah, okay." He turned to Dan and fixed him with a surprisingly stern expression. "Did you bring it?"

"I brought a lot of stuff," Dan replied, unprepared for the question. "Games and pajamas-"

"Did you bring _it,_ " Harvey repeated, eyes boring into Dan's. "From under his pillow?"

"Oh." Dan was shocked by the question, not realizing that Harvey even knew about Tenderheart. He nodded, the only way he felt he could answer that question without explicit permission from 90s Kid.

"Good. You call me if he needs anything, you hear me? I don't care what time it is. If he wakes up and we're not here, call me right away." 

"I will, I swear," Dan said, unable to look away from the penetrating stare he was receiving. He'd never once felt frightened of Harvey, but in that moment, there was something in his eyes that made Dan's breath catch in his throat. Then Harvey blinked and all Dan could see was fear and sadness staring back at him. 

"We know you will," Linkara said, taking Harvey's hand and unintentionally breaking up their staring match. "Thanks for staying with him. Good night, Dan. See you tomorrow." 

Once they had teleported from the room, Dan sank into the chair next to the bed, gazing at his sleeping fiancé's peaceful face, as he started to allow the emotions he'd kept hidden from the others rise to the surface.

"Kid...what are you doing?" Dan's voice was soft and frail, ready to break at any moment. "You can't be here. You're young and strong and healthy. You shouldn't be here. This...this isn't right." He reached out, shaky fingertips landing atop 90s Kid's cheek. "You're pale...you're so pale. It isn't a good look on you. You don't look like you without any color in your cheeks." Dan's pulse started to quicken as teardrops pricked his eyes. "This is all wrong... you shouldn't be here, Kid. You shouldn't…shouldn't be scaring everyone who loves you. Y-you're scaring me so much, Kid."

A few droplets rolled down Dan's cheeks and splashed onto 90s Kid's skin, which startled Dan out of his depressing reverie. He stared down in shock a moment before hastily wiping the tears off 90s Kid's cheeks. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Kid! I don't know what I was thinking! Here you are, in pain and fighting so hard, and I'm making this all about me. But don't you worry about me; you just worry about sleeping and getting better. I'll be here, I'll always be here, so don't you worry about me!" 

Dan bent down and rifled through the duffle bag before finding 90s Kid's beloved bear. He gently tucked it in beside 90s Kid before moving to stroke his hair again. "Here you are, sweetie. I brought Tenderheart for you. He couldn't stand being away from you any more than I could, so he's gonna sleep with you until you feel better. And I'm gonna stay right here until you feel better too. There's no way you can ever get rid of me." Dan laughed, a strange, choked laugh, while tears continued to trickle down his face.

\-----

Dan groaned softly as he stretched his body out, lightly slapping his face a bit to keep himself awake. Sunlight had started pouring the window of 90s Kid's hospital room and he could hear the birds chirping outside. A glance at his Pop Swatch let him know it was nearing eight o'clock. Thankfully 90s Kid had been sound asleep since being given his pain medicine, though Dan refused to allow himself to rest until he was positive that his fiancé was going to be alright. He leaned his head on his arm and rested his eyes for a moment until he began to hear a light murmuring. He straightened up and watched intently as 90s Kid's eyes began to flutter open, before he turned his head and gave Dan a surprised look. 

"Dan...you stayed here?" 

Dan quickly wiped his eyes to hide any trace of redness and gave 90s Kid as wide a smile as he could. "Of course I did, sweetie! I've been right here the whole time, just like I promised." 

90s Kid smiled, reaching his hand out weakly so Dan could hold it. "You didn't have to do that, dude," 90s Kid murmured, and his voice was much weaker than Dan could ever remember it sounding. "You should totally...go get some sleep soon, 'kay?" 

"I'm not tired, Kid," Dan lied sweetly, lifting 90s Kid's hand to his lips and kissing it. "I promise I'll get some rest later, but right now I wanna stay here and make sure everything's feeling better. Are you feeling any pain?" 

90s Kid slowly shifted himself a bit. "A little, but not that bad. Not like before." Dan took a quick look at 90s Kid's chart. 

"The nurse should be here in a few hours to give you some more, but I can see if they'll-" 

90s Kid shook his head. "Dan, I told you I'm fine. It doesn't hurt when you're here." 

Dan smiled at him and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek, though he couldn't stop from looking worried when he felt how warm it was. However, the sounds of footsteps coming towards their room brought him back to reality, so he quickly fixed his expression and slid Tenderheart Bear back into the duffel bag before a gentle knock sounded on the door. 

"Is 90s Kid awake?" Linkara asked, making sure to keep his voice low.

"They can come in." 90s Kid murmured. 

Dan hurried to open the door and whispered to the others before they entered, "He's awake but he's very weak." 

*We will be sure to keep things calm* Ninja promised as he and the others crowded around 90s Kid's bed. 

"How are you feeling?" Linkara asked, laying a gentle hand on 90s Kid's shoulder. 

"Not too bad," 90s Kid said, flashing them all a wobbly smile. "I'm really happy you're all here. I'm feeling better now, for real." As he said this, 90s Kid shifted in his bed and winced, though the others were kind enough to ignore that. 

_I hope you slept well,_ Boffo honked. _I asked Nancy to give you a private room with one of the newer beds, but I wasn't sure how comfortable they were._

"No, I slept totally good. The bed is super comfy, dude," he said, to Boffo's relief. 90s Kid suddenly squinted his eyes. "Wait, is Harvey-dude here? I don't see him." 

"I'm here, Junior." Harvey peeked his head inside the door before taking a few tentative steps inside. He had bags under his eyes and his skin was rather waxy looking, but he still managed to smile when his eyes landed on 90s Kid. "What are you still doing in bed, lazy-bones? I wanna see you up and running around lickety-split." 

90s Kid let out a weak laugh. "I totally wanna be doing that. I'm gonna be up and outta here real soon, man."

*I'm sure it won't take any time at all. Nothing can keep you down for long, 90s Kid. We need you to make a speedy recovery, as the base feels far too quiet without your music blaring late at night* Ninja held up, giving 90s Kid a fonder look than he normally would. 

90s Kid giggled then winced again, causing Harvey to wince too. Linkara dragged another chair to the other side of 90s Kid's bed so Harvey could sink into it. He did at once, reaching out and running his fingers through 90s Kid's hair without hesitating this time. 

"Is there anything I can get you, Junior? You know you just gotta say the word and we'll go out and get you anything you need." 

90s Kid shook his head, smiling at them all. "Nah, I'm totally fine. Dan brought me everything I needed, and you guys are here, so it's all good." 

"Thanks again for staying with him," Linkara murmured to Dan, who looked up in surprise before smiling. 

"No problem. You know I'd do anything for him." 

"I find it a bit odd that you were allowed to stay at all, Dan. Don't most hospitals forbid non-blood relatives from staying overnight?" Linksano inquired, turning to Boffo. 

Boffo nodded. _This one does, but I explained 90s Kid's situation and managed to pull some strings with the hospital staff. They'll allow us to visit and stay with him as needed._

"Boffo, you're awesome," 90s Kid told him, a wider smile crossing his face. 

"Yeah, Chuckles, we owe you big for this." 

Boffo blushed and tried to brush off their compliments. _Please, think nothing of it. I only want to make sure that 90s Kid is as comfortable as possible._ Boffo checked his watch then and bit his lip. _I'd love to stay longer but I have to report in to the children's ward soon._

“It's okay, dude. You already did so much for me," 90s Kid told him. 

Boffo reached down and squeezed 90s Kid's hand. _I promise to stop by again on my lunch break, and when I'm finished here I will return right away._

90s Kid squeezed back, though Boffo could barely feel it. "Okay, dude. See ya." 

Boffo gave him one last smile before turning and heading out the door. "You dudes can take off too," 90s Kid offered, but Harvey and Dan both shook their heads. 

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetie." 

"Me neither. There ain't no place I gotta be other than right here." 

Linkara frowned slightly, since Harvey already was looking worse for the wear, but he knew now was not the time and place for arguing about that. "We'd all love to stay here with you until you're ready to check out of here, 90s Kid, but unfortunately the hospital would probably ban us for noise violations," he joked. "So instead, we've come up with a schedule so that at least two of us will always be here with you. How does that sound?" 

"Sounds pretty..." 90s Kid trailed off and winced again, one hand moving across his stomach. Harvey and Dan instantly looked alarmed. 

"You okay, Junior?"

"Should we get a nurse?" 

"No, no, it's...I'm fine...just felt bad for a second but it's gone now. I swear...I'm good."

“90s Kid is correct, occasional pains are natural,” Linksano piped up, though he did look sympathetic. “So it appears the treatment is going as planned.” 

Dan and Harvey didn’t look placated at all by this, and Dan squeezed 90s Kid's hand comfortingly. “I think that Harvey and I should take the first shift to watch over him,” Dan said, trying to keep his tone from sounding too forceful. He would be taking the first shift no matter what anyone said.

Harvey instantly nodded in agreement. “Of course we will. No way we’re gonna leave you here by yourself, Junior.” 

Linkara still looked apprehensive, knowing that Harvey had gotten almost no sleep last night, but figured that letting him see that 90s Kid was doing well was better than dragging him away. “Well, unfortunately, I have to get going. I have a pretty big to-do list for today, but I promise I’ll come back here for my shift as soon as I’m done.” 

90s Kid smiled. “Okay. Thanks, Linkara.” Linkara bent down to give 90s Kid a gentle hug and the teen wrapped his arms around him as best he could for a few moments. 

"Call me if you need anything," he murmured into Harvey's ear before leaving. Harvey nodded, but Linkara had a feeling it was done out of courtesy, not agreement.

The rest of the morning passed extraordinarily slowly. 90s Kid dozed on and off throughout, so it might have passed quickly for him, but for Harvey and Dan every minute felt like an hour. They tried to fill the time by playing cards with 90s Kid whenever he felt awake enough to hold a hand, and made idle chit chat with him when he wasn't too weak to speak, but the stretches of time where 90s Kid had his eyes closed was almost torturous to the two men. 

Dan had trouble sitting still in his chair and found himself fidgeting, tapping his feet against the floor, drumming his fingers against any available surface, and chewing on the ice chips Boffo had brought him so that he'd stop chewing on his lip. He felt like a prisoner trapped in a cell of pure white, forced to stare down at the one he loved most as he lay helpless and pained beside him. There was nothing Dan could do to help 90s Kid, and nothing he could do to help himself escape the fear of this situation. He hadn't even remembered to bring his walkman along so his head spun with the thick silence that almost made him feel dizzy. Dan craved sound that didn't belong to a heart monitor or the air conditioner, and every so often he glanced at Harvey, but his desire for sound would not be satiated by the older man this time. 

Dan wasn't exactly close to Harvey, but he had started to feel a connection to him when it came to their affection for 90s Kid. Harvey gave good advice and was easy to talk to during normal circumstances. These circumstances were anything but normal, however, and Harvey was nowhere near the man Dan remembered speaking to over the years. In contrast to Dan's constant movement, Harvey spent most of his time sitting slumped down in a chair, his gaze dull and locked onto the floor. He didn't move much at all, only when 90s Kid stirred in his bed, but when he slept, Harvey stared grimly. There were moments where Dan felt the desire to ask him if he was okay, or if he needed a break, but in the end he held his tongue, not wanting to intrude on Harvey's thoughts, even though he would have loved for someone to intrude on his right then. 

Eventually Dan's wishes were answered around noon, when Boffo and Linksano popped their heads into the room. "Good afternoon," Linksano said softly, since 90s Kid was napping at that point. "We've come to relieve you of your duties." 

_You two must be starving._ Boffo gave a concerned look to both of them. _Why don't you stop by the cafeteria and find something to eat? We'll be here in case 90s Kid wakes up, so you don't have to worry._

"Huh?" Harvey looked up suddenly, not realizing that there was someone else in the room. "Nah, 'm fine. Don't need nothin'." 

_"Finevoice, you look and sound exhausted. You've been here all morning," Linksano remarked, giving Harvey a knowing look, to which Boffo nodded heartily._

_I promise we'll keep a good eye on 90s Kid, so please go on ahead._ 90s Kid began to stir, so Boffo made a motion of self-reproach. _90s Kid, did I wake you? I'm so sorry!_

90s Kid smiled weakly, tried to open his mouth, and ended up coughing. "Here, sweetie," Dan quickly held up a cup of water to his mouth and let him drink for a few moments. 90s Kid whispered his thanks before looking up to Boffo again. 

"It's cool, Boffo...I was tired of napping anyway." 90s Kid's eyes turned to Harvey, and the singer leaned forward. 

"What is it, Junior? You need something? I'm here."

90s Kid noticed the dark circles around Harvey's eyes, which now held a painfully eager expression. "Dude, you look tired."

"I'm alright, Junior, you're the one that keeps falling asleep on me," Harvey tried to joke, but his smile was incredibly forced. 90s Kid shakily put a hand on Harvey's arm, which Harvey then laid his hand over, as though trying to feel that it was still warm.

"Harvey...I know you're worried, but you totally need to sleep and eat, okay?" 90s Kid said pleadingly. "You too, Dan...you guys need to…take care of yourselves."

Dan's desire to skip lunch so that he could remain at 90s Kid's side was instantly overwhelmed by his desire to stop 90s Kid from worrying about him, so he nodded and stood up. "You're right, sweetie. I'm going to take good care of myself so that I'll be as healthy as you are once you get out of here. I promise to eat a nutritious lunch right now."

"And sleep," 90s Kid continued, his eyes still on Harvey. "I want you to eat and sleep...both of you."

"I will, Kid."

"I doubt you will in one of these chairs," Linksano griped as he took the vacated chair Dan had been using. "These are more uncomfortable than I thought they'd be."

 _Sorry about that,_ Boffo couldn't help but apologize.

"That's alright. I've slept in much worse places than here, so I should have no trouble drifting off," Dan told him. 

This seemed to depress Boffo instead of cheering him up. _Why don't I have a cot rolled in here for you, Dan? Then you'll at least have a bed to lie on when you need a nap._

"Yeah, that sounds cool," 90s Kid agreed. "Can you get two, Boffo? One for Dan and...one for Harvey?"

 _Well, that might be trickier,_ Boffo admitted. _Can you two take turns napping?_

"Sure we can," Harvey agreed. "Crockett can go first, once he's finished lunch." 

Dan noticed then that Harvey was still sitting down. "Are you coming with me, Harvey?"

"I suppose I could use a smoke break."

90s Kid smiled as Harvey stood up. "Thanks, Harvey-dude. Don't worry about me...I'll be here when you get back." Harvey bent down and ruffled 90s Kid's hair gently, whispering something to him that the others didn't hear, before he stood and headed out of the room almost faster than Dan could follow. 

While Dan made his way to the cafeteria, Harvey headed outside and pulled out his e-cigarette. Dan watched him stand beside a tree and smoke for a moment before he made his food selection. He wasn't hungry at all and knew it would be a chore to force food down, so he bought a small cup of vegetable soup and a small cup of fruit salad, since that seemed to be a rather healthy option. 

"Do you have change for a fifty?" Dan looked up from his meal in surprise at Harvey's sudden appearance. 

"Uh, no, I don't think so." 

"Damn," Harvey sighed. "I hope the cashier has enough then."

Dan glanced to the bottle of water in his hands. "Is that all you're getting?"

"I'm not feeling too hungry right now," Harvey replied with an expression that said asking further questions was not in Dan's best interest. 

"Oh," was all Dan replied. Having no further use for him, Harvey made his way to the cashier, paid for the water, and exited the room before Dan was even half-way finished with his soup.

Dan sighed, dropping his spoon and burying his face in his hands. Now that he was alone, he could allow his emotions to overwhelm him for the time being. 

_“I hate this. I feel so powerless watching Kid lying there,”_ Dan thought miserably, feeling his eyes water up. _“I thought that Harvey would be the strong one like he always is, but it seems like he’s falling apart. But I can’t help him...I can’t help Kid…I can’t do anything.”_

Dan wiped his eyes and stood up, throwing his half-empty meal in the trash. He couldn’t help 90s Kid just yet, not until he had calmed down, so he walked outside to take in a few breaths of fresh air. Then he decided to undercut this by feeling around in his pockets in the hopes that he'd brought a pack of cigarettes with him, but he came up empty

_"I can't ask Harvey for one, he just quit. Damn it, Dan, can't you do anything right?"_

Dan groaned and leaned against the outside wall of the hospital when he felt the presence of someone beside him and saw a cigarette being shoved in his face.

"Here. Hurry up so I can light it. You look like shit, Dan."

Dan's eyes widened as he recognized the voice, looking up to see Cinema Snob standing there in all his glory. He slid the cigarette between his lips and allowed Snob to light it for him, taking a long, satisfying drag before finally finding his tongue. "S-Snob? What are you doing here?"

Snob took a drag of his own cigarette before answering. "I had to run some errands today. The fridge was almost empty and Lloyd needed some new chew toys so I popped into town to pick that shit up. Then I was feeling like having a smoke and I saw you standing here, looking like hell, and I figured you could use one too."

"You...saw me..." Dan repeated slowly as he tried to make sense of it all. "But don't you...live in another state?"

Snob scowled. "There was a sale at the PetCo in this town, for your fucking information. I was trying to save a little money."

"But...didn't the gas to get here cost you-"

"I had Linkara use his spaceship to teleport me here. It was the least he could do for me after I risked my neck on that fucking insane mission a few days ago!"

"You did all that for a sale at a PetCo?"

"Are you gonna keep questioning every fucking thing I do or are you going to smoke?" Snob snapped, his face red with anger.

Dan quickly shut his mouth and the two continued to enjoy their cigarettes in silence that for once Dan didn't hate. "God that's good," Dan let slip out once he'd finished. "Oh, sorry."

"Don't apologize for stating the truth," Snob replied. "I can always turn to these when I need to calm down. I know Phelous isn't exactly a fan, so I try to minimize my number per day."

"Kid isn't a fan either," Dan admitted. "He doesn't mind that I smoke sometimes but I know he'd be happiest if I stopped. He's always looking out for me...always wanting me to be healthy and s-safe..." Dan started tearing up so he turned away and hugged himself, knowing that Snob did not enjoy seeing raw emotions in others. He expected the other man to walk in away disgust, but to his surprise, he heard soft footsteps approach him instead.

"How is he?" Dan glanced behind him, wanting to be sure he hadn't just imagined that, and found that Snob was looking at him intently.

"I-I don't really know. Everyone says he'll be f-fine and that this is a routine surgery they do all the time, but...but he's in pain and he's so helpless and there's n-nothing I can d-do for him." The tears started to spill down Dan's cheeks as the words spilled from his mouth. "I-I keep thinking about this training exercise we did with Kid. H-he was on a cliff ledge and then he was f-falling and I was so scared of losing him, Snob. Even though I knew it was all fake, I was so scared, and I jumped after him. I didn't even care if I caught him; I just wanted to f-follow him, to be with him, because I need to be with him, Snob. I can't lose him but I-I'm so scared I will! He'll just slip away out of my reach...and I'll l-lose him forever..." Dan hiccupped and gripped himself tighter. He knew it was wrong to dump all of his problems on Snob like this, but it was terrifying to feel this way, and he needed some sort of release to his emotions or he worried he'd do something drastic.

Dan continued sobbing, not noticing when Snob let out a resigned sigh, before his sobs choked off into a gasp as he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, gripping him tightly.

"Damn it, Dan, quit blubbering," Snob scolded into his ear, though his tones were kind, kinder than Dan had ever heard him use when addressing anyone. "Isn't 90s Kid the one you told me managed to live through an evil hologram, cursed quills, and even some fucking god that tried to destroy all life on Earth? Having a bad appendix is probably the least he's had to deal with. I've seen what he can do with guns for myself, so I know he's a lot smarter and stronger than people give him credit for."

Dan gripped Snob tightly, tears leaking onto the back of the other man's suit jacket, but for once the movie reviewer didn't say a word about it. "I-I know he's strong, b-but I'm so weak," Dan groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. "What can I do to help him? What can I do to m-make him better?"

"Dan, do I have to spell everything out for you?" Snob asked, and Dan could swear he felt the man's hand patting his back. "I've seen you two together, and 90s Kid fucking loves you, dipshit. Every time he's around you he acts like nothing in the world could bring him down. You really think you don't make him feel stronger and better just by being there, Dan?"

Dan clung even more tightly to Snob, his words soothing his heart more than either realized. "But I...I'm still so useless."

"Dan, don't think shit like that. You're just scared right now so you might feel that way but you're actually doing a lot for him. You've been here since last night making sure he's okay and not alone, right? And you kept it together in front of him so he wouldn't worry, right? That's a hell of a lot of strength to show, Dan. I'm certainly impressed you could keep it together for this long."

Dan pulled back to stare into Snob's eyes. "You...you really believe that, Snob?"

"Of course," Snob replied, although he quickly looked away as his cheeks started to tint red. "I think you're a lot stronger and braver than you feel you are, and I think 90s Kid is right to depend on you. You can come through when someone really needs you, Dan. Yeah, you might break down and cry or some shit once in a while, but everyone does that. What really makes you strong is being able to come back from that and being there when 90s Kid needs you again. I know you can do that, Dan, so you need to stop fucking doubting yourself. He's going to be fine, I can tell, so just stop all this damn worrying, okay?"

Even though they both knew Dan could never stop that, hearing it from Snob made it feel like it was possible. Dan wiped his face with one of his sleeves before he pulled Snob into another hug. "Thank you," he murmured as he clung to the other man.

"It's fine, Dan. Just fucking call me next time, alright? Don't just stand here crying alone like an idiot." Snob patted Dan's back a few more times before he lightly shoved him away. "Alright, alright, that's enough. It's past one and Lloyd gets cranky if he doesn't get his salmon on time."

Dan nodded and rubbed his eyes again. "Of course. Give Lloyd and Phelous my best. 90s Kid and I will be over to visit as soon as he's better."

Snob rolled his eyes. "Oh great, another evening of you two talking about cartoons and weird space rocks again. I'm totally looking forward to that." His voice dripped with sarcasm but Dan could tell that Snob didn't really mind an evening like that at all.

"Thank you for everything," Dan told him again, his voice brimming with gratitude. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come here."

Snob turned away. "I told you why I was here, and it wasn't to visit you. Ugh, just get back in there so you can help 90s Kid get better already."

"Yes, sir!" Dan waved goodbye to Snob as he watched him get in his car and drive out of sight, feeling like a large part of his anxiety had melted away thanks to the words of his best friend. Snob had a strange way of doing things, but Dan knew what he was trying to tell him, and it made his heart feel full. Now that he finally felt like he could hold his head up high again, he took a deep breath and went back into the hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: Sorry today's update is so short. We wanted to make the chapters longer, but LJ is a diva about post length and so that restricts us to this length here too since I like to keep both sites on the same schedule. Next chapter will make up for it. The move to Dreamwidth can't come soon enough. XD

Dan had never been so absorbed in coloring in his life, not even when he'd been in kindergarten and had a habit of scribbling on whatever blank wall he came upon. He was sitting at the small table next to 90s Kid's bed, colored pencils scattered all around him, as he diligently worked to brighten up several very important drawings. Since 90s Kid had been sleeping for most of the afternoon, Dan had decided to create a surprise for when he woke up, which was why he'd spent hours slowing adding vibrant hues to the page before him. 

The pictures in question that Dan were working on included 90s Kid's doodle of being a Pokémon trainer, along with Dan's addition to the work. It was slow going, since Dan was being as careful as possible to not color outside the lines, as well as to shade in every creature, person, and piece of clothing with the correct color. This sometimes required Dan blending together different colors on a blank piece of paper until he found the right hue, but he didn't mind the work, although when a knock at the door interrupted his search for the correct green to match 90s Kid's flannel jacket, Dan also didn't mind taking a break.

"Well, hello there my red and black-clad friends," he said upon opening the door to find Ted and Ninja. 

"Greetings, Dan," Ted said, bowing a bit before he smiled at him. "I was hoping to run into you. I know it's growing late, but I wanted to stop by and see 90s Kid after Ninja informed me of his condition. I've brought him a gift that I hope he likes." 

"Cool, is that a toy?" 90s Kid, who'd woken up at the sound of a knock, asked happily as the three approached his bed. Ninja smiled and nodded before holding out a strangely pointy wooden hammer with a red rubber ball attached to it by a string. 

*It is called a kendama. It's similar to a paddle ball, though the goal is to catch the ball in one of these cups, or on the pointy end here.* Ninja pointed to the thin spike in the middle of the hammer. 

"That things looks awesome! I'm gonna practice and get totally good at it," 90s Kid cheerfully told Dan. 

"I'm sure you will, sweetie," Dan replied. He smiled at Ted when he noticed a vase filled with bright, beautiful wildflowers in his hands. "Aw, these are pretty." 

"I am glad you like them," Ted replied as he set the vase on the table beside 90s Kid's bed. "I know it's a bit cliché to bring flowers to someone who is in the hospital, but I hoped they would brighten up your room." 

"They totally do," 90s Kid assured him. "I love all the colors, dude. Thanks so much for all this rad stuff." 

*Think nothing of it* Ninja replied, skillfully flipping the ball into each cup before letting it land on the spike. 

"Show off," 90s Kid muttered, causing them all to chuckle softly. They spent some time taking turns with the toy until Ninja received a message on his cell phone which caused him to frown.

*I'm sorry to have to leave so soon, but there's something which needs my attention. Ted, would you mind accompanying me tonight?*

"Of course!" Ted cried, always eager to follow along on his boyfriend's adventures. "I'm just sorry we have to leave already, since we were scheduled to stay longer with you, 90s Kid. I hope you can forgive our hasty exit."

"It's cool, dudes. I know you're probably, like, super busy," 90s Kid told them in an understanding tone.

*We promise that will stop by to visit you again, 90s Kid* Ninja informed him as he handed over the kendama. 

"Thanks, man. That's so awesome of you." 90s Kid waved weakly as the two men exited the room before he let out a yawn. 

Dan ran a hand through his hair. "You feeling sleepy, sweetie?" 

"Mmm, yeah. I guess I'll take a nap, even though I just had one," 90s Kid murmured, his eyes already sliding shut. 

Dan kept stroking his hair until he was softly snoring, before he retrieved the kendama and placed it beside the vase of flowers. It was then that Dan remembered Harvey was in the corner of the room. He hadn't said a word all afternoon and seemed not to even notice that anyone had entered or exited the room, instead simply staring out the window as the pink and orange swirls of sunset faded into the cool blues of twilight. 

Dan could feel the exhaustion he'd been battling all day finally start to take its toll on him and he let out an enormous yawn of his own. "I think I might take a nap myself," he said as he wandered over to the cot Boffo had gotten for them. "Harvey, will you-" 

"I'll be right there." Dan fell silent and settled down onto the thin bed, barely able to keep his eyes open enough to watch as Harvey settled into his seat beside 90s Kid's bed. The singer stared down sadly at 90s Kid for a long while and Dan was certain that, just before he drifted away, he saw Harvey plant a kiss on 90s Kid's forehead.

\-----

It took him longer than he'd hoped, but in time Dan managed to finish his meager dinner. Even though he hadn't eaten in several hours, the food felt heavy in his stomach. He'd been tempted to stop many times, but he knew he needed to eat, or else he risked passing out, and he did not need anything happening that would stress out 90s Kid any more than he already was. After depositing his trash, Dan walked back to 90s Kid's room, where he found the teen staring wide-eyed at a huge stack of comic books which had been laid on the portable tray he used for meals. 

"I cleaned out an entire aisle for you," Linkara proudly announced, his chest puffed out as he patted the pile fondly. "I've got 'Superboy', 'Youngblood', 'New Men'-all your favorites! Plus, I snuck in some of the better 'Teen Titans' issues, because everyone should read those at some point in their lives." 

90s Kid mustered up as wide a smile as he could, although honestly it came off as more a grimace than anything. "Thanks, dude. You're totally... awesome." 

Linkara's smile wavered when 90s Kid closed his eyes and yawned, before it slid back into place. "You're right, you're probably feeling too tired to read right now. Why don't I hold onto these for now." 

"I'm not that tired," 90s Kid tried to protest, his gaze moving toward the lounge singer sitting beside him. "Harvey-dude's the one who's totally zoning out." 

"Huh?" Harvey snapped out of what seemed to be a trance. "W-what are ya talking about. I'm as fresh as a daisy."

90s Kid and Linkara both looked at Harvey worriedly, seeing how he was looking as though he was going to fall over from fatigue. "Dude, you look like you need this bed more than I do," 90s Kid tried to joke, laughing a little before clutching his stomach in pain. 

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Dan made himself known, traveling around to the side of the bed. 

"Hey, Dan," 90s Kid tried to smile when he saw him. "Yeah, it just hurts when I laugh. Did you eat, dude?" 

Dan nodded hastily. "I had a good dinner, Kid, I promise. What about you?" 

90s Kid pouted. "I can only have liquids and it sucks, but yeah." He turned to Harvey and his worried look came back. "You don't look like you've eaten or slept at all, Harvey-dude." 

"I haven't seen him do so either," Linkara said, and he placed his hands on Harvey's shoulders. "Harvey, I think you should come home for a while. At least to nap, shower, and change clothes." 

Harvey shook his head, almost trying to cling to his chair to prevent being pulled out of it. "Nah, Kid, I don't have to leave. My suit's good and fine."

Linkara's heart sank as he saw the panic and desperation in Harvey's eyes. This experience was excruciating for everyone involved, but it was especially taxing on Harvey. Linkara knew how much he despised being inside hospitals, yet now he was doing everything in his power to keep from leaving one, all because 90s Kid was lying in that bed. 

"Harvey," Linkara began, before Dan interrupted them all by letting out an enormous yawn. 

90s Kid's dazed eyes instantly sharpened as he looked at the other man. "Dan, you haven't slept in hours. You need to rest, dude, right now." 

"But Kid, I took a nap a little while ago."

"For how long?"

"Um, maybe an hour?"

"Not long enough." 90s Kid pointed over to the cot which Boffo had arranged for them to use. "You're taking another one, dude."

Dan opened his mouth to protest, saw the stern look in 90s Kid's eyes, closed his mouth, and nodded. "Okay, Kid. I know, you're right. I don't want to worry you so I'll try and take another little nap." Dan reluctantly settled down onto the cot and closed his eyes. 

Harvey watched the interaction with interest. "Boy, Junior, you're stricter than I realized." 

90s Kid's sharp glare instantly fell on Harvey. "Dude, Linkara wants to talk to you. You need to go with him and listen to what he has to say, right now." 

"But-" 

"Please, Harvey-dude." Harvey sighed before nodding and reluctantly standing up. 

"Alright, Junior. You're the boss here, so I'll accept my orders. Just lay back and get that look off your face," he softly begged. 

90s Kid's expression softened into one of relief. "For sure, man." 

Harvey ruffled his hair gently before he followed Linkara out of the room with his shoulders slumped. "I know what you're going to say, Kid," he said once they were in the hospital lobby, "and I'll keep telling you 'til I'm blue in the face: I'm fine."

"Harvey, you're not fine," Linkara told him, his full worry coming into his voice now that he was out of 90s Kid's sight. "You look like you're about to fall over, and I can see how terrified you are." Harvey looked up at Linkara helplessly and Linkara squeezed his shoulders. "Harvey, I promise you, 90s Kid is going to be alright-" 

"Kid, please," Harvey said miserably. "Just look at him. Look at how pale he is, listen to how weak his voice sounds. I've never heard him sound like that, s-so helpless..." Harvey squeezed his eyes shut and shook for a few moments while Linkara wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. "I hate hospitals. I hate them," Harvey murmured into his ear. "But I hate not being here to watch over him more. He needs me, and I need to make sure he's okay. I need to protect him, Kid, as best I can..." 

"You are, and you will," Linkara murmured back, rubbing Harvey's back soothingly. "You would never let any harm come to 90s Kid, but you're causing harm to yourself by pushing yourself so hard, and that hurts him too. I promise, he will be okay and soon he'll be home and running circles around us again." Linkara pulled back and pressed a kiss to Harvey's cheek. "Please, Harvey, I'm so worried about you. I don't want you to get sick too, so please come home and rest for me. For him."

Harvey seemed to collapse in Linkara's arms, as if his knees had buckled, but he quickly caught himself and stood upright once more, his expression one of defeat. "Alright, Kid. You win. I can't stand seeing that look in Junior's eyes, but seeing it in yours really hurts. I'll go home and rest with you." 

Linkara's eyes lit up and he hugged Harvey again. "Thank you." 

"A couple of hours," Harvey said once Linkara had pulled back. "I-I can't be gone for more than a couple of hours, Kid. That's the deal here, alright?" 

Linkara knew he couldn't expect much more than this from Harvey, so he took his hand and squeezed it gently. "As long as those hours include a shower and a hot meal, since I'm fairly certain you did not visit the cafeteria with Dan at all today, then fine, you have a deal." 

Harvey looked down. "Was I really that transparent?" 

"It's alright, hon. Anyone who looks at you will be able to tell you're a dad who's more worried about his kid than himself." 

Harvey's eyes shone as he met Linkara's eyes before he blinked a few times, clearing them. For a moment, it was like his boyfriend was looking right through him, into the darkest parts of his heart, and words were no longer necessary. Even then, Harvey still offered a quiet, "Thanks, Linkara" before they vanished.


	5. Chapter 5

Harvey was as good as his word, though he was far too fatigued to resist Linkara's orders anyway. After nearly passing out in the passenger's seat on the ride home, he was practically carried up the stairs and was placed into a hot bath, fed something he was too tired to recognize but devoured all the same, and placed into bed where he fell into a very deep sleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. Harvey's body was so worn out and overtaxed that he slept for much longer than the few hours he'd insisted on, and while Linkara felt pangs of guilt for breaking his word, didn't have the heart to wake him. Harvey would likely spend the next day straight at the hospital and he wanted him to get as much rest as he could. 

Several hours after he had lain down, he found it had become early in the morning, and Harvey groggily opened his eyes. "Jeez, what time is it?" he whispered, getting up quickly and beginning to pull on some clean clothes. "I gotta get back." 

Linkara, who was sound asleep beside him, didn't notice Harvey waking, since he was more exhausted than he'd chosen to admit as well. Harvey decided that Linkara could take a dose of his own medicine and rest up while he returned to the hospital alone, though he still took the time to press a soft kiss to his forehead before he left. In spite of his worry creeping back in like water into a broken roof, he did feel the tiniest bit better. 

Once he'd made it back to the hospital and up to the room, he saw that 90s Kid was quietly reading a comic while Dan was fast asleep on the cot beside the bed, curled up like a small white kitten. 

"Junior, how long have you been up all by yourself?" he asked softly, sitting down in the chair next to him with concern. "I'm so sorry I was gone so long, I wish you woulda called me." 

90s Kid put down the comic and smiled at Harvey as brightly as he could. "Don't worry, Harvey, I wasn't lonely. Dan's here, and it made me feel good that you got to rest. You look better."

Harvey looked over 90s Kid's pale skin, dull eyes, and his flattened, greasy hair. "You're looking better too," he lied, unable to state anything to the contrary. "Any minute now I bet you'll be raring to jump out of that bed and hop onto that skateboard of yours." 

"I wish," 90s Kid muttered. Harvey straightened up in his seat and smoothed out the covers surrounding 90s Kid's body. 

"You don't gotta wish it, Junior. It'll be happening soon enough. Once the docs fix you up, you'll be good as new and ready to swing with the best of them." Harvey needed to stay positive; he needed to believe things would go smoothly and that 90s Kid would leave the hospital without needing to worry about a thing. 

Unfortunately, what 90s Kid needed right then was quite the opposite. Harvey watched in concern as the teen tugged the covers up even higher until they covered his mouth, his eyes sliding shut. "I don't know... what it will be like when they come for me... when the doctors come," he mumbled, his voiced muffled and difficult to hear. "I don't know what it's like to have surgery... to be cut open... it sounds s-scary... I'm really scared about what it feels like, Harvey... I don't wanna be cut open... I don't wanna hurt anymore." His voice was starting to tremble and he gripped the covers with the tips of his fingers, wishing he could wrap himself up until he vanished completely.

Harvey's eyes widened in concern as he heard the childlike fear in 90s Kid's voice, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly. "Junior, surgery doesn't hurt at all, I promise. You don't gotta be scared, it's alright," Harvey tried to sound confident, though inwardly his heart was breaking at how scared his normally brave boy looked. 

90s Kid wasn't quite reassured and peeked over the covers warily. "H-how do you know?" 

Harvey paused for a moment, trying to think of what he could say to prove to 90s Kid that it would be alright, and another distant memory popped into his head. "Because I've been through surgery before. One that was very serious," Harvey admitted, remembering the panic and hysteria and eerie calm of a very private time, a time that Harvey kept to himself and didn't always talk about. 

90s Kid blinked and lowered the blanket the slightest bit. "You mean the war?" he asked in a tiny voice. "The scar you told me you got?" 

Harvey nodded, opening his jacket and beginning to unbutton his shirt, willing to do whatever it took to soothe 90s Kid. "Yep. You told me you wanted to see it, Junior, so here it is." Harvey opened his shirt and displayed the long, raised scar from his lower chest to his abdomen, and 90s Kid lowered the sheets as he stared at it. He hesitantly reached his hand out and Harvey nodded with a soft smile, allowing 90s Kid to gently touch it with his fingers, while the teen let out a soft breath of happiness. 

"Wow. It's even more extreme than I imagined," he said, and Harvey knew he would've sounded much more excited if he had more energy. "I'm totally kinda jealous, Harvey-dude." 

Harvey shuddered. "Junior, I'm gonna go on prayin' that you never, ever get a scar like this. The story of how I got it was far from fun." 90s Kid fell silent and Harvey wet his lips as he thought back to his time in the war. 

"It was back in Korea. I was at the front and I was commanding a squadron of sailors to storm enemy territory. Once we ambushed the enemy troops, they fought back, and I couldn't even hear myself shouting orders. All I could hear was the sounds of the bombs and bullets," Harvey said softly, his gaze growing distant as he remembered. "I saw an enemy tent and saw a light on with shadows inside it. I should have waited for my buddies, but I wasn't thinking and I went in alone." 90s Kid sat quietly, spellbound by the story, his hands clutching the sheets in tight fists. 

"When I got in there, I saw only one man, a Korean soldier who had never seen combat before. I could tell because his uniforms were clean. Everyone's uniforms, including ours, were always dirty since we were always fighting and we could never get the stains all the way out," Harvey said, giving a slightly wry chuckle. "But his were brand spanking new. I think I was the first American he'd ever seen, because... he just stared at me." Harvey murmured. "He was holding a bayonet, I was holding my rifle, but he didn't attack. He just stared, and he looked so young. Younger than I was, and I was only 21 years old." 

Harvey's eyes were still glazed and his words hung in the air. "And I... I froze. I already had a reputation as a seasoned Captain, and I froze. He recovered first." Harvey looked down at his chest and pointed to the bottom of the scar. "He stuck in his bayonet and he sliced me up in one stroke." 90s Kid winced and Harvey touched the scar gently. "I collapsed, and everything after that is a blur. My vision was going dark, all I could hear was my heartbeat in my ears, and then the voices of my platoon finding me. I was loaded into a chopper and taken to the nearest MASH unit, since they were the closest ones to the front. I was slipping in and out on the way into the OR, but I could still remember hearing the doctors. They said that it was a really nasty wound, and that they'd have to work fast if they wanted to save my life." 

Harvey gave a deep, shuddering breath and then a shaky smile graced his lips. "And as you can see, Junior, I pulled through. They weren't able to make it pretty, but they helped me live to tell the tale." Harvey reached out and squeezed 90s Kid's shoulder again. "I didn't tell you that to scare you, Junior, I told you that to let you know that your surgery is much less serious than mine. The doctors have plenty of time and experience to make sure that you're gonna be just fine. And even though I was in pain when I got my wound, I couldn't feel the surgery at all. They gave me anesthetic just like they're gonna give you, and I was asleep before I even knew what was happening." 

90s Kid digested this in silence. "So... I'm gonna be asleep the whole time?" he asked in an even tinier voice. "I'm not gonna feel them go inside?" 

"You're not gonna feel a thing." Harvey said, reaching up to give his cheek a stroke as gentle as his words.

90s Kid exhaled softly, nuzzling against Harvey's fingers like a kitten desperate for affection. His hands always felt so warm and strong and safe, safe enough to reassure 90s Kid that he was protected. "Mmm... thanks, Dad," he murmured. "I feel better now... I'm not as scared... but I still wish I... could get a cool scar to match yours." 

Harvey chuckled softly, the first bit of joy he'd expressed in days. "Sorry to disappoint you there, son. Guess we'll have to come up with another way to make you look like your old man. I'd recommend a new wardrobe personally." 

90s Kid laughed weakly until the sounds became grunts of pain as he rubbed at the same aching spot on his stomach. Immediately Dan jumped up from the cot before rushing to his side. "Kid, are you okay? Do you need a nurse?" 

"I... yes," 90s Kid admitted, wincing as the pain grew. 

"I'll be right back," Dan cried, hurrying out the door so that he could flag down some help. 

Harvey felt a ball of worry settle in his stomach as he watched the boy writhe in pain. "I-I'm sorry, son. I didn't mean to cause this." 

"No, it's... it's not you... it's been hurting more lately," 90s Kid admitted as small beads of sweat started to dot his forehead. "I-I'm glad that the surgery won't hurt... cuz this hurts real bad, Dad... ow..." Tears were forming in 90s Kid's eyes, and Harvey wished with all his heart that he could be feeling that pain in place of his son. 

He held out his hand, allowing to 90s Kid squeeze it as tightly as he wanted. "I'm sorry, son. I can't do much but I'm here for you... I'll always be here for you... Charlie..."

90s Kid squeezed Harvey's hand in a death grip, staring at Harvey with teary, pain-filled eyes, but there was still a depth of gratitude in them that Harvey was there and would always be there for him. Dan scurried back into the room with a nurse in tow, who took a look over 90s Kid's chart while Dan hurried to squeeze 90s Kid's other hand. 

"Does it hurt bad, Kid?"

"Yes," 90s Kid whimpered out, and Dan pressed his lips to his forehead to try and hide his own tears of panic. He couldn't help being terrified but he had to remain strong for him. 

"It looks like you're due for another dose of morphine. Let me get at your IV and I'll administer it." 

Dan did his best to hold 90s Kid's arm still while Harvey continued squeezing 90s Kid's other hand, murmuring words of encouragement as the morphine went into 90s Kid's system. Thankfully the medicine took effect quickly, and 90s Kid was gasping softly as he felt his system begin to slow down. 

"Okay, Junior, it's okay now," Harvey whispered, feeling as much relief as 90s Kid did. The nurse told them to call if they needed anything else and took her leave, but Dan and Harvey barely noticed as they focused on the softly twitching boy lying there. 

"Do you feel any better?" Dan asked quietly and 90s Kid nodded. 

"I-it's not so bad now... I just want it to stop..." Dan looked helplessly to Harvey and the singer swallowed, wondering what he could do. 

"I know, Junior... the medicine should make you sleep, that'll help. Would it help if I sang for you?" 

90s Kid closed his eyes and nodded, relieving Harvey to the core. It helped beyond belief to be able to do something. "Yeah... sing for me, Harvey. You know the song I mean..."

Dan looked uncertainly to Harvey, not sure if he was meant to leave or not. He did not want to leave 90s Kid for any reason right now, but he also did not want to intrude on something he felt was meant only for those two to share. To his surprise, Harvey didn't even pay him any mind as he opened his mouth and started to softly croon. 

"Moon River, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style someday..." 

As Harvey continued to sing, Dan noticed 90s Kid visibly relax, a peaceful expression settling across his face. He silently sighed with relief and leaned back in his chair, keeping his eyes only on 90s Kid, since it seemed wrong to watch Harvey during this private performance. Dan was only meant to be an observer now, so he sat quietly and allowed the warm melody to wash over him. It was amazing what Harvey could do with his voice, how he could convey the depth of his feelings with every note he sang. His heart ached for 90s Kid, though for one small moment his sadness and fear were overshadowed by the love and compassion he felt for the boy. No, it was more than that; every word dripped with utter devotion for the boy, the kind all good parents felt for their children. The kind he and 90s Kid had spent long hours of many long nights whispering about, wondering what it must have felt like. 

Now, one of them no longer had to wonder. 

By the time Harvey hit his final note, 90s Kid was dozing peacefully once more. Harvey smiled down at him, reaching out a gentle hand to ruffle his hair, before he looked to Dan, as if finally remembering that the other man was there as well.

"Oh," Dan said when he met the singer's eyes, for once at a loss for words. He blinked and was startled to find that his eyes were wet, and hastily rubbed them with hands that were for some reason shaking. "You, um... that was... beautiful..." 

_Good morning, everyone,_ Boffo somehow managed to honk in a surprisingly quiet manner. _I have come to relieve you if either of you would care for some breakfast. The cafeteria is just opening up-_

"Yeah, sounds good." Boffo and Dan both looked surprised when Harvey suddenly stood up and made a beeline for the door. "Be right back." 

_Harvey, are you alright? _Boffo tried to ask, looking concerned when he caught a glimpse of the other man's face. Harvey didn't answer, and soon had vanished down the hallway. Boffo looked nervously to Dan. _Did something happen?___

__Dan, still feeling guilty about what had just happened, kept his head down as he answered. "I think he just needed a moment alone. It's hard to have any privacy in a place like this, you know."_ _

___Ah yes, I understand, _Boffo replied with a sympathetic nod. _I'm sure he will be back soon.___ _ _

____While Dan felt relief that no further questions would be coming his way, he retained that guilty feeling for the rest of the day._ _ _ _

____\-----_ _ _ _

____By the time the evening rolled around, Dan was fairly miserable, though trying hard to conceal it. In spite of his best efforts, 90s Kid seemed to be in more discomfort than ever, weakly writhing around in bed, whimpering and groaning in pain nearly constantly, and to make matters worse he was spiking a fever. Dan wiped 90s Kid's face and neck with a cool rag for the tenth time that hour, murmuring loving things to soothe him, while also trying to keep himself from breaking down._ _ _ _

____"I just want him to get better," Dan thought helplessly, biting his lip to keep from crying. "What happened to all your strength, Kid? I've never seen him look this bad. When is this going to be over?"_ _ _ _

____While Dan soaked the rag in some more ice water, he looked up to see Harvey standing in the doorway, his eyes slightly red and a very tense look on his face. Linkara had coaxed him away from the hospital to join him for dinner, but during that time 90s Kid's condition had grown worse, and Dan had not immediately called Harvey to alert him of this situation. Dan swallowed, unsure of what to say, but Harvey ignored him and strode right in, looking down at 90s Kid with growing fear. Harvey pressed his palm to his forehead and gasped, grabbing the rag out of the water and dabbing him with it._ _ _ _

____"He's burning up. How long has he been this way?"_ _ _ _

____"For the last hour. The nurse already came in and said it's normal for appendicitis, but I'm s-still so-" Dan choked off and couldn't continue, but Harvey again didn't speak, only focusing on 90s Kid's reddened, tired face. Dan sighed shakily, feeling so tense that he felt he may go mad, wondering what to say in order to at least make the air between him and Harvey feel less awkward. He didn't want Harvey to send him away from 90s Kid's side, he could never bear to do that, so he had to make sure that Harvey would forgive him for earlier._ _ _ _

____"I... I would have called you sooner, but I figured you... needed a break from all this..." Dan spoke, his voice wavering and losing strength at points. "But I really am sorry about-"_ _ _ _

____Dan's voice died away when a scream pierced the air, and 90s Kid's hands tightly gripped the sides of his hospital bed._ _ _ _

____"Kid, what's wrong?!" Dan cried in alarm, and 90s Kid could only give another pained scream in response._ _ _ _

____I heard the scream, is everything alright? Boffo honked from the doorway, his eyes wide with panic._ _ _ _

____"Boffo, 90s Kid's appendix is really hurting him! Please, get help, quickly!" Dan called._ _ _ _

____I'll get the doctor and alert the others. Just stay there and hold on!_ _ _ _

____"Okay!" Dan didn't know what he could possibly do at that moment so he gripped 90s Kid's hand tightly. "Hold on, Kid. Help is coming soon. You're gonna feel better really soon, okay?"_ _ _ _

____90s Kid didn't respond, moans of pain the only sounds he could produce right now, and Dan again reached for the rag, hoping to cool him down even a little before he left them. As he dabbed his forehead, Dan looked over to Harvey, expecting the singer to have his own words of comfort for 90s Kid, but he was surprised to find Harvey was staring down at 90s Kid in absolute horror. His skin was ashen and he seemed to be on the verge of falling over based on the way his knees were trembling. Dan frowned, wanting to ask if the older man needed a doctor of his own, but before he could the door to the room burst open as a doctor and a nurse pushing a gurney burst into the room._ _ _ _

____"Please step back," the doctor commanded. "His appendix is rupturing. We need to move this young man into surgery immediately."_ _ _ _

____Dan's stomach churned and his legs felt leaden, but he forced himself to obey and reluctantly he left 90s Kid's side. 90s Kid was swiftly moved onto the mobile bed and rolled out of the room before Dan had a chance to even say good-bye to him. Dan managed to stumble out into the hallway and caught a final glimpse of 90s Kid before he disappeared behind a set of double wooden doors._ _ _ _

____"Kid..." Dan swallowed back the lump in his throat and stepped back into the room, not at all sure of what he should do now. He felt very lost and alone, and was on the verge of entering a depressive state when a noise from across the room startled him._ _ _ _

____"Oh God... not again... please not again." Dan watched as Harvey sank to his knees and buried his face in his hands, moaning pitifully._ _ _ _

____Dan forced down his feelings of sadness and panic as he witnessed this unprecedented outburst of grief from Harvey. Even though Harvey had been deteriorating by the hour, he still had never expected to see the hardened lounge singer break down on the floor. Dan wished that one of the others were here, they would know what to do much better than he could, but he still hesitantly went over to him to tried to do his best to comfort someone 90s Kid treasured so highly._ _ _ _

____"Harvey, are you-" Dan's words broke off into a gasp when Harvey wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him close in a grip that hurt. He buried his face into Dan's shirt and shook in terror, fragments of words spewing from his mouth which served to confuse Dan._ _ _ _

____"Gone... took him... left me... can't do this... my Charlie... my boy... not again-"_ _ _ _

____Dan hesitantly placed his arms around Harvey, rubbing his back and trying to ignore the ache growing around his middle. "Harvey, I-I don't understand," he said helplessly. "90s Kid is going to be alright. After the surgery, it will all be over. I don't know who Charlie is, but 90s Kid...." Dan trailed off._ _ _ _

____The bell of memory suddenly rang in his head, and his mind ran back to a time where he had been possessed by anger, and 90s Kid had told him one of his most intimate of secrets. "I am Xavier Charles Smith," Dan remembered 90s Kid saying. "Is Charlie... 90s Kid?"_ _ _ _

____"Charlie... Charlie's who you're worried about?" Dan repeated, still uncertain but starting to get a sense of what was happening here. Harvey gripped to him tighter._ _ _ _

____"My Charlie... my little boy... I already lost him once... I ca-can't lose him again..." Harvey's fingers tightened around Dan's waist as the first teardrop slid down his cheek and splashed onto the floor. "I can't... I can't lose my boy again... I can't..."_ _ _ _

____Dan stared down as the man he had always admired for his strength and confidence began to fall apart at the seams. He knew how much people admired Harvey as well, especially 90s Kid, and felt heart-broken as he watched every ounce of self-control vanish in a flurry of sorrow and fear. Harvey had come through for him with advice and comfort when Dan had been hurting, so now he wanted to return the favor._ _ _ _

____"No one is losing anyone, Harvey," he said softly as he awkwardly stooped down, trying to meet the other man's eyes. "Your boy... your Charlie is not going anywhere. He's at a hospital with doctors and nurses and the best medicine available." It felt odd for Dan to be saying these things since he had been struggling to believe them himself. However, the longer he talked, the easier it became to envision the things he said. "They're going to fix him up and-and make sure he comes back to us in perfect health, Harvey."_ _ _ _

____Harvey shook his head, his eyes wet against Dan's shirt. "That's what they told me before. They told me they could help him, could make him better... but all those docs and all those machines weren't enough to save him..." Harvey whimpered and seemed on the verge of crumpling even lower to the ground but Dan grabbed him and held him close. Dan felt a great throbbing in his chest as he realized the implications of Harvey’s words, but he forced himself hold back his emotions for now. He had to get Harvey calmed down, for both their sakes._ _ _ _

____"I'm so sorry, Harvey. I never knew you had been through this before," he admitted. "But this time it's going to be different. This time Kid-this time Charlie will be okay. He has so much to live for... he has to read more comics and fight more monsters with his awesome guns. He has pizza to eat and Pokémon to catch. He has too many songs to hear you sing and too many Father's Days left to spend with you..." Dan glanced down at the ring adorning his finger and smiled. "And he has to make me the happiest man in the world by becoming my husband. Kid could never leave us when he has so many things left to do."_ _ _ _

____Harvey clung to Dan like a drowning man to a life preserved. "W-what if he doesn't? What'll I do?" he choked out, still refusing to lift up his head. "I-I can't... live without him..."_ _ _ _

____Dan closed his eyes for a moment, trying to smother the wave of emptiness he felt as he imagined a life without 90s Kid. "You're not going to lose him. None of us will, because 90s Kid is strong. Isn't that what you've always told me, Harvey? He's been strong enough to get through so much, and he has strong people like you to pull him through."_ _ _ _

____Harvey sniffled, raising up his tear-stained face, and Dan had never seen the lounge singer's eyes look so vulnerable. "I-I haven't been able to do anything for him," Harvey protested. "I just sit here and watch him suffer... that's all I-I've ever been able to do... I'm no good to anyone..."_ _ _ _

____"That is completely wrong, Harvey." Dan pulled from his pocket a crumpled tissue and dabbed at Harvey's face with it as more tears began to leak from the older man's eyes. "You've been helping Kid more than you realize. You have no idea how much he looks up to you, Harvey, how much he trusts you and wants to be with you. He's let you grow closer to him than almost anyone else, and he's come to depend on you for comfort and warmth and all sorts of things that only you can give him. Like that story you told him this morning, about your time in Korea and your scar-you knew just what to say to calm his fears and reassure him that surgery isn't the scariest thing in the world. You were a perfect father to him in that moment."_ _ _ _

____"You... you heard that?" Harvey asked, sounding surprised._ _ _ _

____"I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Dan replied apologetically. "I just happened to wake up when you returned to the room and I was going to let you know, but you started talking first and I sort of felt compelled to listen." Dan blushed slightly as he admitted this, but continued telling Harvey what he'd long thought about him. "You just have this comforting, warm air about you that draws people in and makes them believe that everything will be alright. You make people like Kid feel safe, Harvey, even during the really rough times. I've never seen him relax more than he did when you were singing for him. I... I really liked watching that too," Dan admitted, his cheeks still burning._ _ _ _

____Harvey sniffled, taking the tissue from Dan to wipe his eyes more thoroughly, and that was when he noticed the silver and garnet ring on the man's finger. Some of Dan's previous speech finally clicked._ _ _ _

____"And he has to make me the happiest man in the world by becoming my husband."_ _ _ _

____Harvey suddenly reached for Dan's hand and inspected the ring gently, causing Dan to blush deeper, though he didn't pull away. "Did Junior give you that?" he asked, curious and needing to hold onto this distraction. "When did this happen?"_ _ _ _

____"Yes, Kid gave me this." Dan couldn't hide this truth from Harvey, since it was one he wanted to shout from the rooftops most days. "It was on the night you all left for that big mission. Kid and I had had a fight which was entirely my fault, and I was terrified that he was going to leave me for good. But instead he dropped to one knee and promised that he would never leave me, even when I'm at my worst, and he gave me this beautiful ring instead. I honestly couldn't believe it... I've always been a screwed up, good-for-nothing waste of space, but Kid... Kid still wanted to give me the most amazing present I could have ever asked for."_ _ _ _

____Dan turned away as he started to tear up but looked back when he felt a handkerchief being pressed into his hand. Harvey had stopped his own tears and was staring at him with the faintest smile on his lips._ _ _ _

____"I remember that day. Junior was in his room crying his eyes out and terrified that you might hate him because of that fight. I set him straight though. I knew there was no way you could ever hate him." Dan nodded, since that was definitely true. "Yeah, I knew that, just like I knew you are absolutely not a good-for-nothing waste of space, Dan," Harvey continued, staring directly into Dan's eyes. "You've been there for him too, probably more than I have. I, uh, might have even felt a bit jealous of you," he admitted sheepishly, "and I'm sorry if that made me act like a schmuck, Crockett. I just wanna be as important to Junior as you are. You might think you're weak and helpless, but you're actually a lot stronger than you realize. Fortunately Junior's got better eyes than both of us, since he's already got them set on the greatest prize around."_ _ _ _

____Dan's eyes widened and he couldn't help but smile shyly from the flattery. "Y-You really believe all of that?"_ _ _ _

____Harvey couldn't help but smile back, his panic soothed for the moment now that he was back in his element of supporting someone else. "Of course I do. Junior's always been able to count on you, and I can't think of anyone else I'd trust to keep him safe once the time comes."_ _ _ _

____Dan looked touched and he gave Harvey a genuine smile. "Thank you, Harvey. 90s Kid and I want to keep it under wraps for now, and we know it'll be a while before that happens, but... I'm really happy that we have your blessing."_ _ _ _

____Harvey reached out to squeeze Dan's shoulder, feeling a surge of gratefulness to Dan for getting him through this terrible time. "Don't ever doubt it, Dan. You're gonna make a five-star son-in-law."_ _ _ _

____Dan couldn't help tearing up again, feeling a sense of connection to Harvey that he had previously thought would only extend to 90s Kid. "Harvey, that... means so much," Dan couldn't help confessing. "You know, I... I can't believe you ever felt jealous of me, because I always felt that you and Kid had a bond that was stronger than any other."_ _ _ _

____"Really? Even though I'm just an old kook looking for someone to pal around with and tell all my stories about the good ol' days?" Harvey joked._ _ _ _

____Dan didn't smile. "You're so much more to him than that, Harvey. You mean so much to him... you're the father he never had and always wanted..." Dan swallowed and looked down. "At times I've felt jealous too. I thought it was because Kid loved you as much as he loved me, but now I think it's also because you love him as much as you do. You've loved him completely and unconditionally, in a way he's always deserved, and I'm so damn happy that he has you... but I'm also a little jealous of him, as terrible as that is to admit."_ _ _ _

____"You're jealous of Junior, Crockett?" Harvey stood up, facing Dan directly now, though Dan kept his gaze on the floor._ _ _ _

____"Yeah. Like Kid, I've never had a great relationship with my parents. My mom was always too drunk to really notice or care that she had a son, and my dear old 'dad', when he wasn't working, was too busy telling me I wasn't worthy of living because I happened to think boys were just as cute as girls," Dan explained a bit bitterly, before exchanging this expression for a teary smile. "I've been on my own for a long time, never thinking much about parents at all. Then I met you, Harvey. You've always been someone people can trust and depend on, and Kid has told me so many stories about how much you've done for him and how much you mean to him... I just... I've always wanted that as well. You're a wonderful father, Harvey, and I feel so lucky that I can be close to you too, even if it is only as a son-in-law."_ _ _ _

____Harvey's eyes watered as he listened to Dan and before he'd even realized it, he had pulled the younger man into a hug. "No kid deserves to live like that," he murmured. "You had lousy parents, Crockett, but you don't gotta worry about your father-in-law. I know you're a good guy who wants to take real good care of Jun... of Charlie, so I give you my blessing. Go ahead and make him the luckiest man in the world, and make me the happiest man in the world by marrying him. I couldn't have asked for a better... a better son than you, Dan."_ _ _ _

____All of the strength Dan had been employing to put on a brave face for 90s Kid evaporated, while all of the emotions he'd been trying to bottle up inside, the rage and terror and worry and sadness, finally were unleashed and he clung to Harvey, crying openly. It was all too much to take in, this fear of losing 90s Kid mixed with the relief of confessing his desires and those tender words from Harvey, words he'd always craved hearing but never believed possible, and Dan allowed himself to feel the full effects of this fear and relief and this kindness. Harvey didn't object in the slightest, simply holding onto Dan while allowing tears of his own to continue trickling down his face. He could not maintain control right now, but this time it was alright, because this time he wasn't alone. This time he could share his sadness with someone who could understand, someone who could help shoulder this burden. There was nothing more they could do but cry and wait and hope that this time, everything would turn out all right._ _ _ _


	6. Chapter 6

After three agonizing hours, Harvey and Dan’s bloodshot eyes rose eagerly from the tiled floor to watch as a stretcher was wheeled back into the room. 

“Is he alright?” Dan, voice slightly raspy, asked as 90s Kid was placed onto the bed. It took every ounce of willpower he had to resist the urge to crawl into the bed himself and cling tightly to his fiancé. 

“The surgery was a little tricky, but he came out of it just fine. With any luck, he didn’t come away with an infection, so we'll continue to monitor him until we're certain. He should be waking up soon but he’ll be pretty loopy for a while,” the doctor announced, causing Harvey and Dan to mutually heave a sigh of relief as they hung over the sides of the bed. 

Once the doctor and nurses took their leave, Harvey bent to kiss the top of 90s Kid’s head, taking deep breaths as he tried to reassure himself that things would be fine now. 

“Charlie, you did it, you made it, Charlie,” he whispered, more tears leaking from his eyes as he felt a warm feeling spread through him. “I’m here, Charlie. You’re such a brave boy. I love you, son.” 

Dan was also emotional and nearly delirious with relief, pressing his lips to 90s Kid’s cheek and gripping his hand. “I knew you could make it, sweetie. You’re such a fighter and I’m so proud of you. I love you so much, Kid. Harvey and I'll be here for you, so just rest now. Rest now and we’ll be here.” 

The two couldn’t be torn away from 90s Kid's side until they noticed Linkara hurrying into the hospital room, He paused to lean against a cabinet as he caught his breath, while the rest of the team piled into the room as well. 

“I came as soon...as I heard,” Linkara panted, swallowing heavily. “Teleporters... down... traffic... was murder...” 

Harvey quickly went to Linkara and helped him into a chair before pouring him some water. Linkara drank gratefully, those his eyes immediately locked onto 90s Kid’s bed. “I heard that 90s Kid was rushed into emergency surgery,” he said after gulping down the water. “Is he alright?” 

Dan gave a reassuring smile and squeezed 90s Kid’s hand. “The doctor said he’s going to make a full recovery.” 

This time it was everyone else’s turn to sigh in relief, Linksano shaking his head before smiling at 90s Kid fondly. “He’s indestructible.”

"Thank goodness for that," Dan murmured, still unable to release his grip.

Boffo smiled as he gazed down at 90s Kid's sleeping face. _He looks much more peaceful now. I think most of his pain has vanished, so you don't have to worry about him suffering anymore._ Boffo pressed his hands onto Dan's and Harvey's shoulders, addressing his words to them, even though the two would not truly be able to stop worrying until 90s Kid was up and running around happily once again. _I know you two have been waiting for him all this time. I'm sure 90s Kid is grateful to have people who love him so much by his side. Right now though, he's most likely going to sleep for a while longer, so why don't we give him peace and quite so he can rest?_

Harvey was still running his fingers through 90s Kid's hair as he smiled down at him, and didn't appear to have heard Boffo's miraculously quiet honks, but when Linkara moved beside him he sighed and nodded. 

"I know what you're gonna say, Kid. Now's the perfect time for a shower and a nap, right?" 

"And a meal," Linkara added. "That advice is for you as well, Dan." 

*If you don't want to return all the way to your home, you are welcome to stop by the base, or Ted's apartment* Ninja offered, since both locations were closer to the hospital. *Linksano has just texted me that the teleporters are back online.*

"Of course, couldn't have happened when I was stuck behind an SUV cranking death metal," Linkara muttered.

"That's really nice of you," Dan began, "but I really don't want to-" 

"Mmmmwha?" 90s Kid shifted around on his bed and cracked open his eyes halfway as he moaned a little.

"Oh criminy, did we wake you?" Harvey asked apologetically. 

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Dan chimed, pressing his lips to 90s Kid's hand. 

"S'okay," 90s Kid answered with a bit of a slur to his words. "Nahmad... atcha... Dan..." 

"We do apologize for waking you, 90s Kid," Linksano insisted on saying. "We were only trying to entice these two into returning to the apartment for a bit of rest and sustenance-" 

"Go." 90s Kid's voice was much clearer now, as were his eyes, which darted from Dan to Harvey. "Go sleep... go eat... I'll see ya... see ya later... but'cha have'ta... go now..." 

Dan and Harvey shared a look before nodding. "We promise, Junior, we're gonna take care of ourselves," Harvey told him as he stood up. 

"But we'll be back really soon, sweetie," Dan said as he bent down for another kiss, this time to the teen's forehead. 90s Kid managed a small smile and mumbled something incoherent before his eyes slid shut again and he fell into a steady slumber.

Linkara and Linksano hoisted Harvey and Dan out of their chairs and sat themselves down, ready to take the next watch. “You heard 90s Kid’s orders, get out of here and go take care of yourselves already,” Linkara joked, smiling at them both. “Ninja and Boffo, take Harvey and Dan and make sure they don’t show their faces around here for a good long while.” 

*Orders received loud and clear, Linkara.* Ninja held up while Boffo saluted playfully, before they linked arms with Harvey and Dan and vanished from sight. 

Linkara heaved a sigh and leaned back in his chair, silently gazing at 90s Kid. Linksano poured another cup of water for Linkara and one for himself. “Thanks,” Linkara quietly murmured before sipping it. 

“Don’t mention it. You were looking a little dehydrated yourself,” Linksano remarked, taking care to keep his voice down. “I can tell you were worried about him, Linkara.” 

Linkara choked a little, setting his cup down and trying to compose himself. “W-well sure I was, we all were. At least I wasn’t as bad as Harvey, he nearly tore himself apart over this.” 

Linksano shot him a knowing glance. “Linkara, your room is right across from my own. Don’t you think I can hear you getting up and pacing your floor at all hours of the night?”   
Linkara flushed and the scientist’s gaze turned sympathetic. “I realize you’re our leader, but you have every right to talk about your worries as we do. We all know how much 90s Kid means to you.”

Linkara sighed and ran a hand across his face. "Okay yes, I admit it, I care about 90s Kid. A lot. But that doesn't mean I'm letting worry distract me from what I need to do. Just today I finished writing a new script for next week's review, repaired thirteen broken Cybermats, finished learning a new spell, did a little baking, and had time to clean all the windows in the apartment." 

While Linkara seemed proud of his accomplishments, Linksano stared at him with an arched eyebrow. "My, that is quite a busy day you had," he began after a moment. "You certainly accomplished a lot. I don't think I can remember you ever working so hard during past weekends." 

"I like to keep busy," Linkara replied with a shrug. 

"Mm, yes. It's almost as if you wanted to be so busy that you could distract yourself from thinking about other things." 

Linkara glanced at 90s Kid before blushing further. "Shut up. Like you haven't spent all day cooped up in your lab." 

Linksano smirked. "I do that most days." 

"Do you also spend most days constantly texting Boffo for updates on 90s Kid's condition?" Linkara replied with a smirk. 

Now it was Linksano's turn to start turning red. "H-how did you know about that?"

"Boffo asked me to check on you. He didn't want you to be alone when you were so worried." 

"I knew those peanut butter cookies had ulterior motives," Linksano muttered as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Alright, fine, let's just both agree that we spent our day worrying and leave it at that." 

"Fine." 

The two sat together in silence for a while, watching as 90s Kid slept, before Linkara glanced at the scientist. "He, uh, he looks good, right?" 

Linksano let the corners of his mouth turn upwards. "He looks very good. Honestly, he'll probably look better than us all by the time he's released." 

Linkara leaned back in his chair and tilted his hat down so that the brim covered his eyes. "As long as he's okay, that's fine with me."

“I concur. 90s Kid will likely fluctuate in and out of sleep for the rest of the day, though on the second or third day he will have to become mobile again in order to ensure proper recovery.” 

“Sounds... good,” Linkara responded, unable to stifle a yawn. Linksano’s smile tugged the ends of his mouth higher. 

“I’ll watch over him, you take a nap. Tesla knows you’ve earned one.” 

“That’s not a bad idea,” Linkara murmured, curling up a little in the chair and getting comfortable. “But wake me if he wakes up... or needs anything... or...” 

“Shut up, Linkara.” Linksano said softly as he draped a spare blanket over the man. Linkara’s lips held the faintest traces of a smile as he drifted off to sleep.

\-----

90s Kid eyed the machine sitting before his bed with apprehension. "I dunno... can I really do this?" 

"If you want to regain your lung capacity, you're going to have to try," the nurse replied calmly, her smile warm and encouraging as she held out the end of a plastic tube which was connected to the machine. "It's going to hurt a little, but I know you'll be able to do it." 

90s Kid let out a small sigh and very slowly shifted around in his chair until he was leaning forward. The nurse helped him press the tube into his mouth and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Now, on the count of three, I want you to blow into this, okay?" 90s Kid gave a brief nod, his eyes, fully trained on the machine. "Okay: one, two, three." 

From the other side of the room, where Harvey and Dan had excused themselves to give the nurse more room to work, the two men winced as a sound of pain emanated from the teen. They both knew this exercise was going to hurt a lot more than the nurse had led 90s Kid to believe, and even though it was a necessary procedure for appendectomy patients, it was still difficult to listen to. 

Harvey's hands clenched into even tighter fists every time 90s Kid let out a wheeze or groan of pain, and Dan had his eyes squeezed shut as he mentally repeated, "Kid isn't hurt. Kid's okay. Kid isn't hurt. Kid's okay." However, as much as the two wanted to leave, they refused to budge even an inch until the therapy session was over. 

"Alright, I think that's enough for now," the nurse said, helping a now panting 90s Kid back into bed so he could recover from the pain that exercise had caused him. "You did a great job so go ahead and take a little rest. However, once you're feeling energized again, we're going to start on the next part of your therapy. I'd like you try and take a walk around the hallways here. You don't have to go far and you don't have to go alone, but take at least a couple laps around the corridors, okay?" 

90s Kid was too weak to manage a nod this time, but fortunately Harvey had managed to compose himself enough to approach the nurse. "I promise to make sure he's following the rules," he told her. Satisfied, she wheeled the machine out of the room and closed the door, leaving the three in peace. 

Harvey quickly moved to 90s Kid's side and ran a hand through his slightly damp hair. "Sorry you had to go through that, Charlie. I know it's gotta hurt, but it's what we gotta do right now." 

"Ugh... yeah," 90s Kid agreed. "It still blows though." 

Harvey let out a small smile at the unintentional pun. "Once you're feeling better, I'll be right by your side when you take that stroll around the place. You can lean on me as much as you want." Harvey paused then when he saw Dan approach the bed and he frowned a bit. "Or maybe it'd be better if... yeah, you know what, you should be going with Crockett. He's the one you should be leaning on now." 

Dan's eyes widened as he looked to Harvey. "Oh, Harvey, that's very kind of you to offer, but I wouldn't mind if you went with Kid. I know he leans on you quite a lot so I'm perfectly fine if you're there with him instead of me." 

"That's kind yourself, Crockett, but I insist." 

"No, I insist." 

"How about instead of you both insisting, you both come with me instead," 90s Kid grunted as he raised his hands to grab each of theirs. "I like leaning on both of you... so you should both be there... if that's okay." 

Harvey and Dan shared a surprised look before smiling at each other. "It's more than okay, Kid."

Once 90s Kid had regained enough of his strength, Harvey and Dan remained true to their word and aided him in slowly making his way around the hospital corridors, bracing the teen on either side and letting him lean against them whenever necessary. 90s Kid panted and sweated and tried to contain his grunts of pain so as not to worry them, but Harvey and Dan were both quick to offer gentle touches and murmurs of encouragement whenever one slipped out. 

"Oh, dude... I don't think I can walk anymore." 90s Kid finally rasped out, pausing his stride and leaning against Harvey's shoulder for support. 

Dan gripped 90s Kid's arm and looked helplessly to Harvey, unsure if he had the heart to tell 90s Kid he had to keep going. It was almost incomprehensible to him that 90s Kid, the one he had always known as the most active, energetic person he'd ever seen, was now being worn out by a short walk around a hallway. 

Harvey also looked pained and reluctant, but he knew it was for his own good, so he rubbed the 90s Kid soothingly as he spoke. "I know it hurts, Junior, but this is what you gotta do to get better. You just gotta go around two more times, okay?" 

90s Kid groaned and shook his head a little. "Dude, I can't..." 

Dan kissed 90s Kid's cheek and tried to sound as cheerful as he could. "Yes you can. I know you can do this, Kid. You've gotten through much harder things than this before. Just try to keep moving, okay?"

"Yeah, son, you can do this," Harvey also gently encouraged, keeping his arm tightly around the 90s Kid's waist. "I know it's rough, but you're strong and you don't quit when the going gets tough. All you have to do is take one little step. Just lift your leg a few inches and then set it down." 90s Kid grunted but reluctantly followed orders, moving his left foot about two inches forward. "Good, that's good. You're doing great, son. Now, just lift your other leg a few inches, okay?" 

"You're so amazing, sweetie," Dan cheered as 90s Kid slowly lumbered down the hallway, trying as hard as he could to keep a smile on his face and worry out of his eyes. "I bet you're going to be even stronger than before once you heal up completely!" 

"Yeah, soon you might even be strong enough to take on me," Harvey kidded. 

90s Kid let out a choked sound which was most likely a laugh before he glanced over at Harvey. "Oh dude...you do not wanna take me on." 

Harvey grinned. "You getting cold feet already, squirt?" 

"You wish," 90s Kid shot back, seeming suddenly reinvigorated as he took a few steps without prompting. 

"It wouldn't even be close," Harvey shot back with a cocky grin. "In fact, I'll even let Crockett team up with you. Together the two of you might have, oh, half a chance of getting a scratch on me." 

Startled, Dan was about to reply that he would never want to take on Harvey, when the singer winked at him. Dan quickly smiled in response. "Yeah, come on, sweetie, let's team up and show Harvey just how strong we are." 

Even more enthusiastic than before, 90s Kid stepped forward again and again, ignoring the pain he felt to smile back at the two. "Yeah, Dan, we'll show them. We'll show Harvey-dude real good, and then Linkara, and then everyone. Nothing'll stop us... nothing..." Harvey and Dan continued to bolster the teen's spirits until at last the remaining laps had been completed.

As 90s Kid collapsed in a chair to rest, Harvey and Dan flashed each other congratulatory smiles. "See, what'd I tell ya. I know Junior can always lean on you." 

"But it was you who got the whole ball rolling," Dan protested. 

Harvey laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "I get the feeling you’re not used to compliments, Crockett." 

"I guess I'm not. Sorry." 

"Don't worry about it. Being a part of this family will help your ego puff up to a proper size. Just stick with me and soon you'll be begging for more praise." 

Dan's chest tightened. Being part of a proper family with 90s Kid was all he'd been dreaming of for a long time now, so hearing a proposition like that from Harvey was more than he could have asked for. "I'll make sure to stick close," Dan softly replied. 

Harvey looked at him with more fondness in his eyes than he'd ever shown Dan before, and ruffled his hair. "I'm truly blessed to have such good boys." 

Dan bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from tearing up, when suddenly movement from 90s Kid drew both of their gazes. "Kid, what do you need?" Dan asked, running to his side. "You want to lay down?" 

"No, I feel totally gross. I wanna shower. Will you help me?" 90s Kid then looked at Harvey, remembering that he was still in the room, before he blushed a bit. "Um, with wrapping my IV in, um, plastic and junk. That's all." 

Harvey stifled a chuckle and quickly strode toward the door. "I'll leave him in your capable hands, Crockett. Just make sure he doesn't use up too much energy, since we got more laps to do tonight." Both men were blushing when Harvey, who was chuckling aloud by this point, left the room.

"I don't know if him finding out about us was an awesome idea or not," 90s Kid murmured, to which Dan smothered a chuckle and rang for the nurse to help disconnect 90s Kid's IV. Once a tight seal of plastic wrap was on his arm, Dan carefully helped 90s Kid into the bathroom. 

Dan placed a plastic stool down in the shower so 90s Kid could sit, then set to work gently stripping 90s Kid of his sweaty clothes before sitting him down. He started the water and tested it before grabbing the detachable showerhead and letting it run along 90s Kid's back. "How's the water, Kid?" 

90s Kid sighed in relief as the warm water washed over him. "Mmm, it's radical." Dan smiled and wet 90s Kid's hair before grabbing the shampoo and getting a nice lather in his hands, gently scrubbing his hair clean, then allowing the suds to reach his neck, shoulders and chest as well, almost making it like a massage. "That feels good, Dan," 90s Kid murmured, worried that he would fall asleep if he didn't try to talk every now and then. 

Dan gave a genuine smile, happy that he could soothe 90s Kid's pain for now and help him feel better. "I'd do anything for you, sweetie. I'm so glad you're finally in recovery and that you'll be able to come back home soon." 

90s Kid nodded, allowing Dan to use the showerhead to wash him clean. "Totally. I can't wait to get out of here and be back with you guys again."

"I was thinking about something," Dan began as he slowly moved the shower head up and down 90s Kid's back until he moaned softly. "Would you be okay with me staying over at your place for a little while? Just until you heal up, I mean. I know it's already a little crowded there but I can offer to help out with cooking or cleaning or whatever. So, would that be okay?" 

"Of course it's okay, dude. I totally love when you stay with me." 

Dan smiled in relief as he ran the shower head along 90s Kid's legs. "I love it too, Kid. I guess I just feel nervous about intruding on your family sometimes." 

"Nah, they're cool with it, dude," 90s Kid assured him. "Once you're in good with me, and good with Harvey-dude, then you're totally set." 

Dan smiled and nodded. "That's good to know." 

It was quiet for a moment, save for the sound of water spraying against skin, before 90s Kid spoke again. "So um... you and Harvey-dude are good, right? Like, really good? Even better than you were before?" 

Dan looked up into the teen's hopeful eyes and couldn't hold back his smile. "Yeah, Kid. We're really good. So good that I, um, might have spilled about our engagement," he admitted sheepishly. Dan expected him to grumble about his loose lips but instead 90s Kid was contemplative for a moment. 

"I think it's cool that he knows," he finally responded. "I trust Harvey-dude a lot and I think he'd be happy to know about us." 

"He was," Dan quickly replied. "He even said he... he was happy to have me as a son-in-law." Dan had to stop talking then as a lump reappeared in his throat, but 90s Kid didn't press for more information. 

A little later, a newly cleaned and dressed 90s Kid walked over to his bed and sat down on it before he pulled Dan next to him and wrapped his arms around his torso. "It makes me so happy that my two favorite dudes in the world are getting closer," he murmured against Dan's neck. 

Dan hugged him back gently. "It makes me happy too, Kid."


	7. Chapter 7

After a second long day of recovery at the hospital, 90s Kid was finally discharged and cleared to go home, with a list of recommendations and limits from the doctor to ensure he would return to full health. Linkara and Linksano solicitously helped 90s Kid through the door of the apartment, where Boffo and the others were waiting with handfuls of confetti and streamers. 

_Surprise!_ Boffo honked, leading a round of applause under a large banner that read 'Welcome Home, 90s Kid'. _We are so happy to have you home with us, 90s Kid!_

Ninja held up a brightly decorated cake. *Finevoice and I spent the afternoon baking you a cake to reward your bravery and perseverance during illness.* 

"If you and Finevoice managed to be in that kitchen together without throttling each other, then 90s Kid coming home isn't the only miracle of the day," Linksano snarked, to which 90s Kid laughed before groaning and clutching his stomach. 

"Oh, dude, don't make me laugh," he muttered, though inwardly he was trying to smother his emotions, as the warm welcome touched his heart more than he'd like to admit. 

Linkara squeezed 90s Kid's arm and smiled. "We'll do our best, but I want to hear a lot of your laugh once you're better. I asked Dan to clean your room for you, and you've got clean laundry and sheets waiting for you too." 

"Aw, man, you totally messed up my system! Now I gotta figure out where everything is again." 

"Don’t worry, sweetie, I remembered where I put everything! You just have to let me know and I’ll bring you whatever you need.” Dan announced cheerfully, relieved beyond belief that 90s Kid was home where he belonged. "In fact, why don't I start by bringing you a nice slice of cake? I can bring one to everyone, actually." 

_Oh, you don't need to serve us all, Dan,_ Boffo replied. 

"It's no trouble at all, my colorful friend," Dan cheerfully replied as he began to cut into the delicious chocolate confection. 

"I could get used to this," Linkara muttered to Harvey once a plate of cake and a cup of soda were slid in front of them both. 

Harvey smiled and watched as Dan worked. "He really is a good boy." 

"Hmm? What'd you say?"

"Nothing, Kid." The group chatted amicably and enjoyed their dessert for a while until 90s Kid's soft laughter turned into a cough and a wince of pain. Harvey and Dan, who were sitting on either side of him, both leaned toward him in concern.

"I-I'm fine," 90s Kid said, rubbing one hand along his still tender side. "Sorry to scare you, dudes. I guess I, like, still need to exercise and junk." 

"I was going to suggest we go for a nice stroll around the neighborhood once we finish eating," Dan admitted before he glanced at Harvey. "Unless you'd like to?" 

Harvey smiled and took another bite of his cake. "You go this time, Crockett, and I'll take the late shift, since I'm more of a night owl." 

"Sounds good." 

"At least walking around the neighborhood won't be as boring as walking around the hospital," 90s Kid grumbled, not exactly thrilled with having to continue his exercises. "I mean, my room was totally rad and all, but everything else was, like, so dull and stuff. Sorry, Boffo." 

_It's alright. I know how you feel, 90s Kid,_ Boffo replied good-naturedly. _I'm just happy to know you enjoyed the room. I'll be sure to give your positive feedback to the staff._

"Yeah, that place was pretty nice," Linkara agreed as he went for a second slice of cake. "I'm kind of shocked you had the funds to afford that place, 90s Kid." 

"Yeah," 90s Kid agreed with a chuckle. There was a pause then. "Um, so like, how much do you think that room cost?" 

Linkara frowned and set down his cake. "Wasn't the cost of it on your bill?" 

"Oh, maybe. I didn't get my bill yet so I didn't know." Harvey and Linksano both frowned this time as they turned toward the teen. 

"What do you mean you didn't get your bill?" Linkara asked. "Didn't someone from the staff come to talk to you before you were discharged, 90s Kid?" 

90s Kid shook his head. "Nope. The only people that talked to me were my doctor and that awesome nurse, but they never mentioned money or anything." 

"Well, we can clear that up right away, sweetie," Dan said as he reached for the phone. "I'll just call and ask when your bill is due to arrive."

Dan stepped out of the room to make his call while 90s Kid decided that Linkara had the right idea when it came to cake, so Boffo cut him another slice.

In the kitchen, Dan waited patiently as someone searched through the computerized records, his eyebrows lifting when the employee told him the results. "What? Are you sure? Can you tell me who it was - oh. Well, um...thank you very much." Dan hung up and walked back into the living room looking truly puzzled. "You're not going to believe this. I called the hospital and they said that 90s Kid's bill was already paid in full." 

"Dudes, that was a totally awesome gesture and all, but I really kinda wanted to pay my own way," 90s Kid said, an unhappy look crossing his features as he turned to Linkara. "I know it musta been super expensive, but I do have money saved up, so please let me pay you back for this, Linkara."

"It wasn't me who paid that," Linkara insisted. "I mean, I would have offered to help you with payment, but I wouldn't have done anything behind your back, 90s Kid, I swear!" 

"Harvey-dude?" 90s Kid asked, turning now to the lounge singer, who raised his hands. 

"Hey, I'd do anything I could to help Junior, but it wasn't me either. Can you tell us who it was, Crockett?" 

Dan shook his head. "I tried, but the donator asked that they remain anonymous."

A weak horn honk suddenly brought all attention to Boffo, who lowered his head. _I paid the bill, 90s Kid._ He admitted, his expression growing apologetic. _I didn't realize it was so important for you to pay for yourself. I just thought it would make things easier if you didn't have to worry about money when the most important thing to focus on is your health. I really hope you can forgive me. I promise I'll find some way to make it up to you._

Everyone was stunned into silence for a moment before 90s Kid managed to stand and walked over to the chair where Boffo sat. He extended a hand which Boffo hesitantly took before pulling the clown to his feet and hugging him as tightly as his body allowed. "Boffo-dude... you are... I can't thank you enough... it really means so much to me..." 

Boffo, who always crumbled at the prospect of tears, quickly hugged 90s Kid back. _It's alright, 90s Kid! Please don't cry! I am happy that you're thankful so everything's alright!_

90s Kid nodded and wiped his face with the back of his hand before smiling at the clown in a reassuring manner. "You're right, I shouldn't be sad now. I'm really happy that you would want to help me like that. I never thought you would do something so cool for me. You're totally the most awesome friend in the universe." Boffo sighed in relief but 90s Kid wasn't finished. "However, even though it might take, like, a bajillion years, I'm totally going to pay you back completely for this. Every spare penny I make that isn't going towards my super important goal," he paused to share a knowing smile with Dan here, "is totally going to you, dude."

 _What? 90s Kid, I can't agree to that,_ Boffo honked in shock at the very mention of repayment. _I didn't do this to be repaid, and I simply couldn't accept your or Dan's money._

90s Kid could tell that Boffo was resolute about this but he would not let a friend pay such a large amount of money without offering anything I return. "Okay, half then. Please let me repay you half the money, Boffo, or else I’ll always feel totally bad about it. Please, dude?” 90s Kid made his most pitiable face and Boffo melted, warmly wrapping his arms around the teen and squeezing very gently. 

_Alright, you win. I can’t let you feel bad about this, so you can pay me half. But this will be entirely on your time table, 90s Kid, so I don't want you feeling pressured to earn money, alright?_

“That’s totally cool with me! Thanks Boffo.”

 _Honestly, as long as you'll be able to give me a stronger hug than this one day, then I’ll truly feel repaid._

"You’re really one in a million, Chuckles,” Harvey chimed in. “I think you at least deserve an extra piece of cake." 

"And I'm definitely not taking no for an answer about that," 90s Kid added, giving Boffo a look. 

Boffo giggled and accepted the plate from Dan. _I never turn down dessert!_

Once the cake was finished and the excitement of 90s Kid's return died down, the members of the team slowly returned to their everyday activities. Soon enough only 90s Kid and Dan were left in the living room but it didn't take long for Dan to rise to his feet. "Well, I guess it's about time we have our walk, Kid. Are you ready?" 

"No," 90s Kid said with a sigh as he allowed Dan to help him up as well, "but we'd better get it over with." 

As they headed out the door, 90s Kid leaning heavily against Dan already, Harvey watched from the kitchen. Linkara, noticing his distracted gaze, refilled Harvey's coffee cup before kissing his cheek. "Much appreciated, Kid, but mind if I ask what that was for?" 

"I'm just proud of how patient you're being," Linkara said as he took a sip of his own coffee. "If I know you as well as I think I do, it's hurting you not to be the one 90s Kid is leaning on, both physically and metaphorically." 

Harvey chuckled softly. "Yeah, it hurts, Kid. But compared to what I was feeling before, this is a walk in the park. Especially since he's with Crockett. I know Junior's in good hands with him I've always known that, but... it still hurts." 

"Anything I can do to alleviate that pain?" Linkara asked, expecting Harvey to make one of his usual double entendres in response. To his surprise, Harvey slid his hand into Linkara's and guided him toward the living room. 

"Can you sit with me, Kid? Just until they get back. I know you're busy, but... I'd like it if you could sit with me." 

Linkara squeezed the singer's hand gently. "Of course." 

\-----

That night, Dan made sure 90s Kid's pillow was fluffed and his freshly washed Tenderheart Bear was tucked under his arm as the teen lounged atop his comfortable bed. "Here's some of the cookies Boffo baked for you and a nice cold glass of milk," Dan announced as he presented the items to his fiancé. 

"Mm, these are delicious. Thanks a ton, dude." 

"No problem! I also have another present for you! I've been working on this all weekend, so I hope you like it!"

90s Kid munched on a cookie while Dan pulled out the sketchbook he'd taken to the hospital from his duffel bag. "Did you draw me a picture?"

"That I did. I also added a bit of color to one of your drawings, so I hope you don't mind." 

"That's cool," 90s Kid asked, eyes shining with curiosity. "What'd you draw?"

Dan felt a touch nervous as he flipped through the pages, but once he held out his masterpiece for 90s Kid to appreciate, his heart soared with happiness.

"Aww, dude, that's amazing!"

On the right of the page stood 90s Kid and his trio of Pokemon; to the left was Dan and Porygon; and behind both of them stood a black-clad loung singer with a knobby hand on each of their shoulders, crooning a duet with a Delcatty that was curled around his neck like a shawl.

"I love this so much! I bet Harvey would totally love it too, cuz he totally loves Delcatty! You should show it to him, Dan!"

"Thanks for the encouragement sweetie but my artistic skills are nothing next to yours," Dan replied with a smile. "If I showed Harvey, he'd probably wonder why you're hanging out with a chubby James Bond and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man."

90s Kid giggled softly. "Your drawings are not that bad, dude. But whatever. This is totally my new favorite drawing ever and I'm gonna hang it on my wall once I'm strong enough to lift my arms over my head. "

"I'm thrilled to know I'm worthy of being displayed in your room," Dan said, setting the sketchbook down so he could settle back into his chair. "Now, is there anything else I can get you, sweetie?" 

90s Kid finished gulping down his milk, leaving a cute little mustache on his upper lip, before shaking his head. "You've done enough, Dan. You should totally take a rest now." 

Dan giggled and bent down to kiss the milky remnants off his lip. "How can I rest when you look so cute, Kid? I could spend the rest of the night kissing you if I didn't control myself." 

"Ahem." 

Dan jumped a mile and turned bright pink when he realized Harvey was standing in the doorway watching them. "Ah! H-Harvey! I didn't see you there!" 

"He's always doing that," 90s Kid replied, although even he had to admit that the interruption had been more funny than irritating. 

"Sorry, kids, I didn't mean to intrude. I was just hoping to say goodnight to Junior." 

"Of course, please do," Dan said as he headed for the door. 

"You don't have to leave, Crockett," Harvey said, and Dan paused for a moment, looking directly into the singer's eyes. What he saw caused his chest to tighten and Dan quickly looked away. 

"Thanks, Harvey. But for now, it should just be you two. I'll be back later, Kid." With that, he was gone, shutting the door behind him.

Though he wouldn't have minded at all if Dan had chosen to stay, Harvey was quietly grateful for the chance to be alone with 90s Kid for a few moments. Having 90s Kid in the hospital had been a horrible ordeal, and now he wanted to take some time to let it sink in that his boy was home safe once again. He sat down on 90s Kid's bed and smiled down at him, which 90s Kid returned tiredly. The teen sighed happily as Harvey ran his fingers through his now clean hair. 

"How are you feeling, kiddo?" Harvey asked softly. "You took your pain medicine, right?" 

90s Kid nodded. "Yeah, Linksano-dude gave it to me earlier. Oh, dude," he said, suddenly looking excited as he pulled up the right side of his pajama top. "Check this out! Now I have a totally hardcore scar, just like you!"

Harvey bent down to peer at what was thankfully a very small marking, one which in no way, shape, or form matched his, but nevertheless whistled to show how impressed his was.

"That sure is something, Junior. The dames will certainly be impressed the next time you hit the beach. It, uh, doesn't hurt though, right?" he added, looking to 90s Kid's face a bit uncertainly.

90s Kid shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. I totally feel alright, I'm just tired." 

"I don't blame you after you've been working so hard. Remember, if you need anything, we're all here to take care of you." 

90s Kid nodded, a warm feeling spreading through his chest, causing him to squeeze Tenderheart under his arm happily. It was only then that he realized he was still holding the bear and he twitched suddenly, trying to reach for the covers so he could stuff it under them while his cheeks turned red. "Oh, jeez, dude-" He winced at the sudden movement and Harvey placed his hands on his arms to steady him. 

"Whoa, easy there, Junior. Don't hurt yourself now," Harvey murmured gently. "I don't mind at all that you've got a little friend here to make the bed warmer. You know I've got plenty of 'em in my bed too." 

90s Kid still kept his eyes averted, feeling embarrassed to have one of his most private possessions out in the open to be seen, but when he got the nerve to look back into Harvey's face, he didn't see any mockery in his eyes, only the usual love and fondness that he always found there when he was tucking him in. 

90s Kid squeezed the bear again and spoke softly. "Dan gave this to me, back when the holo-dude was messing with us," 90s Kid shivered a bit as he remembered. "I had it with me in the hospital too... it helps me feel safe." 90s Kid wasn't used to talking about this with anyone who wasn't Dan, but considering how much closer the two men had become, he felt comfortable with revealing his secret to Harvey.

Harvey's eyes shone in silent gratitude to Dan. He continued to stroke 90s Kid's hair and spoke in a husky voice. "He's done a lot for you, Charlie. I'm glad he's been there for you all the times I couldn't... I'm really, really glad about that. I couldn't have asked for a better man to look after my boy." 

90s Kid's eyes wavered with tears as well and his voice became a whisper. "I'm gonna marry him one day, Harvey. When I do, will you stand beside us? Neither one of us has a dad to do it, and we'd both... we'd really love to have you up there." 

"I'd be honored, Charlie." The two embraced for a long while before pulling back and wiping their respective faces. Harvey happened to glance down then and spotted the open sketchbook Dan had left behind. "You draw this, son?"

"Dan did most of it. He thinks he cubed it, but I told him you would totally love it," 90s Kid revealed. 

Harvey gently ran his fingers across the image. "You know me well, Junior." 

Eventually he set the sketchbook down and stoof up. "I should get going. I don't want to deny Crockett or you from the rest you so dearly deserve." 

"I'll totally sleep good now that I'm home," 90s Kid agreed just as a yawn overtook him. 

Harvey smiled and gave his head one last stroke. "Good to hear, son. Now, I want a promise from you that home is where you'll be sleeping for the next few years. No more of this hospital jazz, alright?" 

Although he said it in a light tone, 90s Kid knew how serious Harvey's words were. "No more hospital jazz," he agreed. "I can't go getting sick or hurt again when I have so much junk to do. So you don't have'ta worry about me, because I've got the two most awesome people in the world looking out for me. But, um," 90s Kid looked down shyly, "if you wanna worry about me just cuz it makes you feel better or something, it's totally cool... Dad." 

Harvey bent and pressed a kiss to 90s Kid's forehead. "Love you, son. Sleep tight."

"Love you too, Dad." 90s Kid murmured, feeling very safe and content as he shifted slightly in bed. 

Harvey quietly excused himself from the room, closing the door softly as he saw Dan standing in the hallway a decent distance away. "I got him warmed up for ya," Harvey joked softly, causing Dan to chuckle. 

"I appreciate it." 

"I appreciate it too," Harvey told him sincerely. "I know I was a real basket case before, but I think I'm gonna be alright now." 

Dan reached out and squeezed his arm. "I think I'm going to be alright now too. Thank you for everything, Harvey." 

Harvey smiled. "Don't mention it. We'd better not keep Junior waiting, though. My room's right down the hall if you need anything." 

"Of course. Good night, Harvey." 

"Night, Dan."

Dan blinked, almost unsure if he'd heard Harvey right, but when he saw the singer's smile, he happily returned the gesture. Then he slipped into 90s Kid's room and quickly changed into his pajamas before moving toward the light switch. "You ready for bed, Kid?" 

"Mmm yeah," 90s Kid said, his voice a bit sleepy now. "Come over, Dan. I've missed feeling you beside me for such a long time, dude."

Dan quickly turned off the lights and climbed into bed beside 90s Kid, snuggling happily though gently against his chest. "I missed this too, sweetie. I didn't get much sleep when you were in the hospital... although Harvey got even less." 

90s Kid tightened his grip around Dan and softly brushed his lips against Dan's cheek before he closed his eyes. "It was a bogus time for everyone, but you were looking out for him, weren't you?" 

"As much as I could." 

"Thank you." 90s Kid's grip tightened again. "Thank you so much for helping him, Dan." 

Dan nodded, knowing 90s Kid could feel the motion even though his eyes were closed. "I told you that I'll always be there for you, Kid. And now, I'm going to try to be there for him too. Harvey's so important to you, and that makes him important to me too." 

"Is that the only reason?" 90s Kid murmured. 

Dan closed his eyes and remembered the words Harvey had spoken a few nights ago, remembered the warmth of his chest, the comfort of his arms. For the first night in days, Dan fell asleep with a smile on his face.


End file.
